An overcast sky threatens to disrupt a media gathering for her upcoming film, but Urvashi isn't worried. "I told Ishwara to make sure it doesn't rain so we can all sit and talk to our heart's content," she says with a smile. The veteran actor is in Bengaluru to for a crucial role in the film Bully, a dark comedy starring Bhouvan Ponnanna , that is set to mark her return to Kannada cinema after eight years.



For Urvashi, however, every visit to Bengaluru is deeply personal. Having recently wrapped up shooting, she made it a point to visit the memorials of two people she holds closest to her heart in Kannada cinema — Dr Rajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar . "I did my first Kannada film, Shravana Banthu, with Annavru (Rajkumar) when I was in Class 10. The song Mary Mary gave me so much fame. Even today, wherever I go, people remember me because of that song. Appu (Puneeth) was only in the third grade when we shot that film. Adikke nange aa samadhi hatra hoguvaga tumba sankata aagatte (That's why I feel emotional every time I visit his memorial)," she says.

She fondly recalls a call from Puneeth years later. "He told me, 'Akka, come to Bengaluru. I want you to dance with me.' That film was Raj the Showman, and I agreed to do it only because Appu asked me," she recalled.



For Urvashi, her relationship with the Kannada film industry feels almost destined. "The bond I've built with the Kannada audience is something very special. After my debut, I've had the privilege of working with generations of actors — from Ambareesh, Shankar Nag , Vishnuvardhan, Ananth Nag, Ravichandran and Ramesh Aravind to Komal, and now Bhouvan. In between, I got busy with films in other languages. Many Kannada directors narrated stories to me, but I never truly connected with them."

What eventually convinced her to sign Bully was the persistence of its makers. "I later learnt that Bhouvan and Harshika went through so much trouble trying to reach me. They finally came all the way to Chennai to narrate the script. After completing the film, I realised it would have been a huge mistake if I had let this one pass. I don't think the Kannada film industry will ever let go of me... and I like that," she says with a laugh.



The film also marks a special milestone for her family. "I'm delighted that my real daughter is playing my reel daughter," she says. "My daughter, Teja, studied at Christ University and is now working in Bengaluru. A lot of people had approached her with acting offers earlier, but nothing materialised. When she visited the sets of Bully, the team was impressed and asked if she would like to be a part of the film. I thought, why not? She'll be playing the heroine and, interestingly, my on-screen daughter too," she tells us.