Tejaswini Prakash

Infobox actor
name = Tejaswini Prakash

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birthname = Tejaswini Prakash
birthdate = birth date and age|1987|12|17
location = Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
occupation = Film actress
yearsactive = 2006 – present
spouse = never married
parents = Mother: Vinaya Prakash
Father: Shivanna Prakash
children = none

website =

Awards 2008 SICA Award for Best Actress - Masanada Makkalu 2008 Karnataka Film Directors Association (Kanfida) Award for Best Actress - Masanada Makkalu

Tejaswini Prakash (also credited as "Tejaswini") is a film actress who has starred in a number of supporting and lead roles in Kannada language feature films.

She began her career with "Masanada Makkalu" an art film that showcased her credentials as a linguistically versatile dramatist. She went on to win a Special Jury Award for her performance at the South Indian Cinema Association. This was followed up by "Mataadu Mataadu Mallige", a social/family drama about water rights issues in remote Indian villages. Her sensitive portrayal of the youngest daughter of the protagonist couple (Kannada superstars Suhasini and Vishnuvardhan) earned her much accolade, though the length of the role was not very long.

Tejaswini made her foray into mainstream commercial cinema in 2007 with "Savi Savi Nenapu", where she played a heart transplant patient who has received the heart of the protagonist's dead wife. Her displeasure with the film's producers for not including her in any of the publicity material was much publicized in the Kannada film press. However, much of the controversy was swept under the rug as the film took off and her performance as the damaged second heroine who gets a new lease on life was received with much praise from critics and audiences alike. Tejaswini followed up "Savi Savi Nenapu" with a guest appearance in "Preeti Yeke Bhoomi Melide", the much-anticipated acting debut of director Prem (who had previously helmed hits like "Khushi" and "Jogi"). However, as the film severely disappointed at the box office, her performance went largely unnoticed. Much of the negative attention for the failure of "Preeti Yeke Bhoomi Melide" was aimed at director Prem for his attempt to appear in front of the camera, and Tejaswini was able to sidestep much of the criticism.

Tejaswini got another break when she starred opposite Kannada superstar Ganesh in his 2008 blockbuster Aramane. In this film, Tejaswini portrayed a small-town girl who tries to play matchmaker between a photographer, Arun (played by Ganesh) and her own sister (played by Roma), eventually falling for Arun herself. Tejaswini's depiction of the mischievous, but lovable "Neeta", who suffers silently through heartbreak had audiences in tears, and won her many favorable reviews. Her character's delicate lisp and obscure dialect of Kannada became a fashionable speaking pattern for teenage girls to emulate. Tejaswini alleged that both the film's director (Nagashekhar) and producer (K. Manju) hid from her the fact that her character does not end up with the hero in the end. She claimed she was only informed after several days of filming had passed, and had originally signed the film with the understanding that Neeta marries Arun. Due to Tejaswini's family's friendship with K. Manju, she was discouraged from taking the issue to the media. However, many industry insiders suspected her displeasure when Tejaswini did not mention Aramane in some of her interviews and conspicuously did not attend either the soundtrack release, the film's premiere, or the 50-day celebration party. Her ire appeared to have cooled off by the time "Aramane" had completed a 100-day run however, and Tejaswini finally appeared at the celebration party, and accepted the Producers' trophies.

When asked about her absence at the 50-day party, Tejaswini said she had been shooting for her next project, e-Preeti, directed by Indian-American filmmaker Priyabharati Joshi, and co-starring Diganth Manchale. Incidentally, Priyabharati had also launched Tejaswini's Aramane co-star Ganesh in his first film, Guttu. Tejaswini has expressed much eagerness about her role in "e-Preeti", claiming that the film will present her in a completely different light than audiences are used to seeing.

"I know people are familiar with my rural village belle avatar. I've only played sweet, suffering girls to date. But Preeti (my character in e-Preeti) will really surprise audiences. She starts out as a simple, small-town girl, very innocent. But then she transforms into a mature, savvy corporate climber, living the American dream. It's almost like a double-role, in terms of acting. Except the new avatar is still a simple Indian girl at heart with real Indian values. It's a very heart-warming, family-friendly story."

Filmography

Sources

*http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/kannada/review/8656.html
*http://musicmazaa.com/kannada/news/fullstory/1452/%5C%27Aramane%5C%27+in+palace+city.html
*http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/19/stories/2008091955230500.htm