At the pre-release event of the Telugu film Agadha in Hyderabad, Dr Kamakshi Bhaskarla became emotional as she spoke about playing the central character in a film for the first time. It had taken her nine years to reach this point, she said, thanking the audience for their support. Directed by MS Raju, the thriller releases in theatres on August 14.

Settling down for this interview, Kamakshi says she is still a work in progress. “I had to make tough choices in life. There were times when I wanted to give up. But I used the opportunities that came my way to build my career; I had no godfather in the industry.”

Kamakshi made her Telugu cinema debut with Priyuralu and went on to act in several web series and films, including the recent Dacoit. The horror-thriller Maa Oori Polimera proved to be a turning point. She is now working on Polimera 3 and the second season of the web series Dhootha. In her early years, she says, she chose some films for visibility and financial independence, while also gravitating towards characters that represented everyday women.

“In Agadha, my character Mahadevi is central to the film, and it has taken me a while to reach this space,” she says. Kamakshi is aware that her roles in the Polimera franchise, Virupaksha and now Agadha may lead audiences to associate her with thrillers. “Love stories and thrillers remain the most common genres in Telugu cinema where women get to shine. It would be lovely to see well-written comedies that give female characters ample scope.”

Aspiring to write and direct

She dreams of writing and directing a feature film and is pursuing an online screenwriting course. “I worked as an assistant director on Polimera and hope to direct someday. I enjoy work that stimulates me emotionally and intellectually.”

That search for creative and intellectually challenging work led her to theatre before cinema. After returning from China in 2017 with a medical degree, she briefly explored modelling before joining theatre groups Samahaara in Hyderabad and Neeraj Kabi’s group in Mumbai. “Modelling did not interest me. Theatre gave me the creative freedom I was looking for.”

The shift from medicine to theatre and cinema was a conscious attempt to carve out her own path. “I grew up in a middle-class family, in dysfunctional circumstances. I admired the strength of the women in my family but also saw how their voices were suppressed.” She says moving to China for medical studies was partly an attempt to break free and grow independently.

In her early years, she approached production houses and auditioned extensively. “Word got around that there’s a doctor-turned-actor who is good at auditions and is a promising actor,” she recalls with a smile.

She gravitated towards characters representing women often overlooked by mainstream cinema. She played a househelp in Priyuralu and a woman from the fishing community in Polimera. “Such characters are often relegated to supporting parts or not celebrated like the archetypal heroine roles,” she says.

Behavioural psychology

Her understanding of human psychology, she says, helps her inhabit these characters with confidence. “It was one of the subjects in medical school; it taught me to read between the lines and understand a character better.”

While Kamakshi enjoys hearing directors narrate a story, she reads each script several times. “I might have read the script of Polimera over 20 times. I read between the lines to understand what the writer or director intends to convey and whether that intent comes through. If something doesn’t add up, I discuss it with them. Most directors have been welcoming of these conversations.”

Reading has been a source of comfort since childhood. “That was my safe space. I enjoyed having imaginary conversations with the characters in a story.” She is currently reading The Palace of Illusions, a habit that has also sharpened her ability to assess scripts.

Away from film sets, Kamakshi enjoys solo travel and trekking, and hopes to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. “Wherever I travel, I choose homestays so I can be around people and observe them.”

Among women in Telugu cinema, she admires Samantha Ruth Prabhu for shaping her career and building the stardom to headline female-centric films. She also admires Nithya Menen and Nivetha Thomas. “There are a hundred ways to work and survive, but I am consciously choosing films that excite me. I hope my work is emotionally satisfying too.”

Published - August 13, 2026 02:36 pm IST