Actor Ishitta Arun finally found her place under the sun with web series Rana Naidu

Ishitta Arun is on cloud nine. A part of the super-successful series Rana Naidu, Ishitta has shone brightly in her role, holding her own in presence of such stalwarts like Venkatesh and Rana Daggubati. The daughter of renowned actor-singer Ila Arun opens up about the same.

Rana Naidu is receiving a lot of love across the country, what kind of response are you are getting for your character Ana?

Even though polarised, the response has been largely positive and frankly, overwhelming -- it is humbling. Personally, I did not expect Ana to receive the kind of love that she has. One would say that’s natural considering the character does share intimate moments with her love interest Tej but surprisingly people have spoken about Ana’s character and my on-screen chemistry with Sushant ji. So, I am very surprised and deeply grateful. 

How was the experience working with Venkatesh and Rana Daggubati?

Venkata was absolutely amazing to watch in action. Although he was the senior most artist, and a superstar at that, he had no airs about him. If I would take a page off his book it would be on professionalism!

Rana is a reflection of his uncle and he is super smart and funny too! It never did feel like I was around the heartthrob of the Telugu industry, he is so down to earth.

You were away from the screen for a long time, what kept you busy?

I started off as a child artist and I have been here in the performing arts industry for over 30 years, now. However, I didn’t get great roles because I had unconventional looks. I meandered into upcycled furniture and interior design. But now, there's been a complete change of scene what with OTT platforms and independent producers coming in. The definition of what’s acceptable has changed and that’s refreshing. I would be silly if I didn’t put myself out there and push my limits!

Any future projects?

I am looking forward to my Netflix release, Hansal Mehta’s Scoop and writing a whole bunch of songs for a musical play that will be staged in Japan. I'm also working on an independent pop music project for composer Dhruv Ghanekar and producing a full-length feature.