Few actresses can claim to be versatile professionals. One such actress is Vishakha Singh. Vishakha who works in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films has been juggling multiple things, apart from her film assignments. The actress launched a new app, the Iconic Bot (a chatbot that engages fans with their favourite celebrities directly), and is prepping for a special workshop in the Silicon Valley that will happen early next year.
“Our first client for Iconic Bot was the Tamil film Mersal. It showed great results for the film. Even tickets were sold through the app,” says Vishakha, adding, “I never imagined that I would be part of a startup program. I was selected from the Women Entrepreneurs Quest by the the Department of Science, Government of India as one among the top 10 women entreprenuers to look out for. As part of this, I will be travelling to Silicon Valley in April next year.” Not many know that Vishaka also dons the role of a producer and has worked on films such as Peddlers and Haraamkhor. Last year, she produced Onaatah, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Khasi in 2016. “I have always been interested in producing films, particularly those that have hard-hitting content,” she says. This year, Vishakha has produced the short film Mehram, starring Farida Jalal, which is being well received at both international and national short film festivals.
The actress is now awaiting the release of her next feature film, The Maya Tape, opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and is keen on working in more films in Bollywood. She says, “In Hindi cinema, the kind of roles I am offered are women-centric roles. In the South, I have always played the sweet, bubbly girl who is the hero’s love interest. It has its own charm because I am the heroine of the film but in Hindi cinema, I am more of an actor and would like to do more such roles,” she signs off.
ayeshatabassum@newindianexpress.com
@aishatax