‘Action has done a world of good to my confidence’

“Any artiste would be excited about working with a director like Sundar C. Also, Action is not a stereotypical film with only the hero performing high octane stunts,” she begins. Akanksha, who plays a character with shades of grey gets going as she talks about shooting for the film.

“I play a femme fatale in the film, involved in a showdown with Vishal’s character. We shot stunt sequences across Turkey in Istanbul, Cappadocia, Baku, and even in Chennai among other locations. Vishal was initially sceptical about fighting me as it involved a lot of kicks and punches. It was only when he realised that I could perform action sequences on a par with him, he told me I was a guy trapped in a girl’s body. I am quite tomboyish off screen,” she opens up.

The actress says that no action scene is complete without getting bruised or injured. “Once I take up the challenge, I don’t like backing off. Despite the gruelling shoot, I made it a point that I will not be using a body double to perform my stunts in Action. I am glad that I had the fitness level and the stamina to cope with the amount of running these scenes demanded. My body double was on the sets watching me perform and was pampered with the production food. (He or she) has put on some weight. Moreover, the entire team was cooperative, and the experience was mind-boggling. I cannot wait to watch the film in theatres,” she adds.

According to Akanksha, the film is not only about stunts. “Actresses hardly come across such well-written roles. If you ask me what sort of films, I’d like to commit myself to in the future, I would say films like Action. I am now confident that I can carry a film on my shoulders entirely,” she says with a smile. Tinseltown is rife with buzz that the actress has already signed a couple of Tamil films. “I have listened to a few scripts and am waiting for the release of Action before I sign my next,” she concludes.