Meet the belles of Shivaji Surathkal

Radhika Narayan, Meghana Gaonkar and Sangeetha Sringeri tell us of their experience of sharing screen space with Sandalwood’s Sherlock Holmes
In the 90s, Ramesh Aravind often played the proverbial sacrificial lover, thus earning the title Tyagaraja (the king of sacrifices). There’s a complete turnaround in Shivaji Surathkal 2, The Mysterious Case of Maayavi, where the actor is sharing the screen with not just one, but three female leads.We speak to Radhika Narayan, Meghana Gaonkar and Sangeetha Sringeri, who appear during different timelines in the film, thus bringing in the twists in the tale.
Love donning detective’s hat online: Radhika Narayan
Since her debut, Radhika Narayan has mostly been associated with thrillers since they come with layers of complexities and are difficult to perform. In Shivaji Surathkal 2, she reprises her role as Shivaji’s wife, Janani.
“Emotionally, my character has much more to offer than before, even though in SS2, she just exists in Shivaji’s subconscious. There are different layers to the character and she has added more suspense to the story,” Radhika says.
In SS2, Radhika has also explored singing. “It’s an old song. Initially, I had my doubts and was scared of not doing it right, lest it offend fans of the original singers. But, I was relieved after director Akash Srivatsa okayed it.”
Asked if she ever played a detective in real life, Radhika says, “I turn into Sherlock Holmes when I need to find something or about someone online!”
Police training began at home: Meghana Gaonkar
For Meghana Gaonkar, who plays Shivaji’s boss, DCP Deepa Kamath, police training began at home. Her father, a retired police officer, helped her get into the skin of the character.
“I come from a family of cops and I have a fair understanding of how it works. Dad briefed me about the technicalities. As a kid, I used to iron his uniform and add the stars. So, wearing the uniform was special for me. Dad wanted me to become an IPS officer, but I ended up an actor! But, hey! I still got to wear the uniform,” Meghana laughs.
She plays a small-yet-pivotal character, inspired by women police officers. “To prepare for the role, I met and spoke with a few women police officers,” she adds.

Enjoyed playing detective as a child: Sangeetha Sringeri
Sangeetha Sringeri, who plays femme fatale Silky Sharmila, says she enjoyed playing detective during her childhood days. “I have gotten into trouble several times too,” she reveals.
“In my village, there were several abandoned houses and we had heard so many ‘horror stories’ from our elders about them. I used to gather my friends and play detective to find out if those horror stories were true! Turns out, they weren’t! I used to read Goosebumps comics in school days and that piqued my interest to play a detective. Also, the word detective automatically resonates with Sherlock Holmes and today, to share the screen with Karnataka’s Sherlock Holmes is an honour,” she says.
Sangeetha, known for playing the girl-next-door, says, getting into the red velvet, short romper for a special number wasn’t easy. “Silky Sharmila was about getting out of the comfort zone and trying something new. Director Akash Srivatsa briefed me that he wanted ‘cute’, not ‘sexy’ expressions. That gave me the confidence.”