Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Dec 24: Actress Priya Anand has expressed her deep affection for the Kannada language, crediting late actor Puneeth Rajkumar for inspiring her to learn it. Speaking at the song release event of her upcoming Kannada film Balaramana Dinagalu, the actress said she began learning Kannada especially because of Puneeth.

Priya Anand, who was born in Tamil Nadu, entered the film industry in 2009 and initially acted in Tamil films. Her Kannada debut came in 2017 with Puneeth Rajkumar-starrer Rajakumara, a film that had a lasting impact on her both professionally and personally.

“At the time of Rajakumara shooting, I met Appu sir in Australia. He told me that I should do more Kannada films and speak more in Kannada. I started learning Kannada for him,” Priya Anand said, speaking fluently in Kannada at the event, drawing appreciation from the audience.

She recalled that Puneeth Rajkumar introduced her to Karnataka’s people, culture and food. “I don’t have anyone at home to speak Kannada with, but on film sets, Vinod and others were there. I tried to speak with them and practice the language,” she said, adding that her efforts helped her gain confidence.

After Rajakumara, Priya Anand went on to act in Ganesh-starrer Orange, followed by James in 2022. She was also seen in last year’s Karataka Damanaka. She is now playing the female lead opposite Vinod Prabhakar in Balaramana Dinagalu.

The film is directed by KM Chaitanya, best known for his acclaimed movie Aa Dinagalu. Music for Balaramana Dinagalu has been composed by Santosh Narayanan.