‘Feel Proud of My Student Ms Virginia Rodrigues-Lead Actress in Kan Movie ‘Mahira’- Prof Dr Devi Prabha Alva
“Feel Proud of My Student Ms Virginia Rodrigues, the Lead Actress in Kannada Action Thriller Movie ‘Mahira”- Dr Devi Prabha Alva-Associate Professor in Commerce St Agnes College (Autonomous),Mangaluru, speaking on Virginia, who was her Arts (BA) student, having taught her Office Practice and Management for two years, and graduated in the year 1997
Mangaluru : It is said that a Teacher and Student Relationship is always great and a memorable one. It was Aristotle who said of teachers, “those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.” Perhaps it is unsurprising that the Greek philosopher spoke so highly of the profession, since he himself acted as a tutor to Alexander the Great and subsequently founded the Peripatetic school of philosophy in Athens. Despite this connection, Aristotle recognized how essential good teachers were both to the education of a child, and to the life of the child. It’s an understanding that, according to many in the profession now, seems to have degenerated over time.
The relation between a student and teacher is something very special. Why? There are numerous reasons to justify. A teacher, is considered like your mother and father at school or college, in letting a student know things that are useful in leading their future life in a useful way. A teacher, is a student’s guardian at the education institution where you spend majority of your active time during the day. Your teacher always boasts with pride about you being his/her student in the staff room with other colleagues. Though not related by blood, teacher is one special person who is not jealous of student’s growth, instead, feels happy when you reach greater heights than he/she does.
Actress Virginia Rodrigues (left) seen with her College Lecturer Dr Devi Prabha Alva
They say behind every successful man, there is a woman. I would like to add, it is the tireless effort these teachers that make the success possible. It is always the student who receives accolades or praises or fame. The teacher or a lecturer, stands in the shadow of the success of his/her student and feels proud looking at him/her.The student is the standing symbol of the caliber of teacher – an example of how he can transform a mediocre student into a successful one! We need to appreciate the efforts teachers take in making us good citizens. One thing is for certain. The majority of teachers/professors see their roles as a vocation; they are in the classroom because they want to help their students achieve the best. Therefore, we need show them that their efforts are fruitful by being successful in our endeavors. Let us assure them that no matter how popular/busy we would be in our future lives, they would always occupy a special place of high regard in our hearts!
And that exactly what Ms Virginia Rodrigues, a Theatre Artist and Movie Actress could have felt when she met her College lecturer Dr Devi Prabha Alva, at the Bharath Cinemas, when Fr Alva had gone to watch the movie “Mahira” on Sunday- and probably Dr Devi Prabha might have felt the same meeting her student after a long time. After a few hugs and shake hands, it was time for both the student and lecturer to share some of their college days memories, over a cup of coffee at movie theatre cafe. Speaking to Team Mangalorean, this is what Dr Devi Prabha had to say, “As a student I have noticed Virginia, as a very hard-working all rounder. She was preparing thoroughly well, to put in her best whether it was in academics or extra curricular activities. She was a good dancer, melodious singer and to top it all, students of the college crowned her with a title of “Student Cabinet President” for her efficient leadership abilities. She was a person who had the capacity to think out of the box, and conduct innovative programs for the students of the college and made life at St Agnes College an enjoyable one for everyone”.
“Today when I see her achievements in fine arts, I feel proud of her. She has followed her heart’s call and has worked tirelessly to realize her dreams. Yesterday when I watched her movie MAHIRA, I remained spellbound for her amazing skill of acting. She was dressed very simple, less or no makeup on her face, still was able to mesmerize the audience with her sharp expressions on her face. I was taken aback to see her stunts which were incredible to the core. What I appreciated the most was, she had not crossed the lines of dignity, decency and respect for womanhood in any of the scenes of the entire movie. Hats off dear Virginia, you have made all Mangaloreans proud of you. I wish success and abundant blessings of God in all her endeavours. We all Mangaloreans must watch MAHIRA, and promote our local talents who have acted in the movie. Good luck to Virginia and MAHIRA” added Dr Devi Prabha..
Virginia Rodrigues was born in the scenic coastal town of Mangaluru to Vincent and Hilda Rodrigues, and got educated at the prestigious educational Institutions of St. Agnes-Bendore, Mangaluru where she was also the college student President, and graduated in the year 1997. She began working with professional theatre troupes as a child artiste in Mangaluru. What followed was a rigorous journey of almost three decades in theatre with learning from stalwarts like Anmol Vellani, M.S. Sathyu, Veenapani Chawla to name a few. She has trained in Bharathnatyam and a few western classical dance forms.
She has worked with notable productions and artists and performs in four Indian Languages- Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam and Konkani, besides English. Having played lead in Malayalam films, her first being ‘SAMARPPANAM’, she is now seen in ‘MAHIRA’ her debut in Kannada. She has trained in mixed martial arts and parkour for the lead character she plays in the film. The film opened to good houses and her performance has been consistently applauded. She juggles photography and her practice in theatre with much elan. She is a sought after freelance photographer and a very acclaimed theatre practitioner who works both with corporates and children, while she is not in front of the camera or behind it.
With Photography, her primary focus is some niche work in the performance arts and currently, she owns a large independent archive of all her work over the years and her work has been published both nationally and Internationally. Her own journey from Mangaluru to a larger world of arts as a career choice about two decades ago is packed with stories and experiences. So, apart from acting in plays or directing them, she also makes time to conduct workshops for children as well as corporates, device training for personnel at various educational institutions, business schools and colleges. She enjoys sharing her insights and methods of keeping sane in a world of chaos !!
Talking about her role and the film Virginia said, “Mahira is a start-to-finish action thriller, for which I have trained very hard. In fact, before I was finalized as the lead, director Mahesh wanted me to train in mixed martial arts for a few months. At my age and level of agility, it wasn’t very easy, but I have taken a liking to it and have continued with my training even after the film. I had to push myself really hard for this film to embody Maya. For the longest time, I was not keen on films because, it takes a lot of time and commitment. Instead, I did projects that required shorter commitments, like short films and ads. My debut in mainstream cinema happened when I got an offer for a Malayalam film, Samarppanam. I am an ardent fan of films from the industry and was excited by the prospect of doing a lead role in sync sound. When I took it up, I knew it would be challenging, and I love the rush of adrenaline that comes along,” she says, adding “Of course, I had to tread the path very carefully, because it can be tempting to take up offers to make hay while the sun shines. You have to be very aware of where you want to lead yourself as far as your career goes.”
Virginia says that she entered mainstream cinema about three-and-half years ago. She further adds, “Samrapanam’ and ‘Marupadi’ in Malayalam were my earlier projects. Theatre teaches one to be disciplined and focused. Theatre and films are a different ballgame though. The challenge to do one’s own stunts in a film was quite enticing. The character had a lot of scope: there were so many variations and emotions that an actor could explore and play with. The feel of the script and the approach to it was fresh. Mahira talks about the relationship between the mother and daughter, of how being a mother (in the movie) takes charge of situations and more. The film is a story about vigilance, grit and determination about overcoming challenges in life. The spirit that Maya has is similar to mine, I identify with it. ‘Mahira’ means one who is resilient, strong and persistent. This spoke to me. I am definitely not the Maya you see on the screen, because I am a completely different person. I am less expressive. Yet, somehow, we are similar”.
Virginia further said, “In getting ready for this movie, I trained for around two and a half months at Chetan D’Souza’s Chaos Faktory, Bengaluru. I practiced all the stunts that were needed there, including mixed martial arts. On particularly vigorous days, I trained for more than eight hours. I did the scenes without body doubles, ropes or safety gears. ‘Mahira’ is a very important film to me; I have put in a lot of efforts into it. Age and agility are closely connected. Training in my 40’s for a character like this needed a lot of determination from my side. There were times I would go back home with sore muscles during the training. I loved the training and I train frequently when I’m in Bengaluru. It was a blessing to work with the cast of this film. I have always been lucky when it came to the sort of people I work with. Raj B Shetty is an angel and I could say this a 1,000 times. He is also from Mangaluru and is a darling, I had a lot of fun working with him. Chaitra, who played my daughter in the film, and I share a beautiful bond. Our chemistry worked well too”.
No doubt, Virginia Rodrigues is a reluctant actor, as far as the big screen is concerned. Her first love, she says, is and will always be theatre. But for someone who took to cinema after a good two decades on the stage, she has taken to it like a fish to water. After a debut in Malayalam cinema two years ago, and two years later, Virginia has now made her debut in ‘Mahira’ and has a few upcoming projects that she is excited about. In Mahira, which is a start-to-finish action thriller, Virginia plays Maya, an undercover cop, who is also mother to a 16- 17-year-old. In the movie, Maya (Virginia Rodrigues), a wanted criminal, is on the run with her daughter Aadya (Chaithra Achar). The duo gets chased by undercover cops. The investigation reveals the real identity of the mother and daughter and the intentions behind their actions. Will Maya be proven guilty or will she be freed? answers the rest of the plot.
Though the basic premise is interesting he stretches the film with repeated scenes and the character introduction feels endless. The exchange between the mother-daughter also sounds illogical at times. In an attempt to present a strong protagonist he ends up overdoing things and his lead is nothing short of a Super girl. She hits men twice her size, offers advice to the intelligence department with confidence, and even breaks a bank locker. Critics have said that the performance of Virginia keeps the audience invested in the film. Her theatre background has helped her excel in the role and she has also managed to ace the action sequences. Chaithra Achar gives an equally competent performance as the daughter.
Review on Mahira says it is a fast paced suspense action thriller revolving around mother and daughter duo bringing in a never seen before action setting for a lady protagonist in Indian cinema. A mother and daughter duo, who lives their blissful life in an idyllic setting, are suddenly thrown off balance with sudden revelation of something from their past leading them to go on a run. There are different groups that are after to apprehend them. Director aspires to take the audience through the rabbit hole of twists and turns and to keep them guessing at each step till the very end while raising many questions all along. Strong characters are conceptualized for this narrative each adding their weight to the content keeping audience at their edge of their seats. It’s a story that is strong on emotions, relationships; suspense that takes different turns at every stage of the film. It is packed with unique action sequences and powerful, intense and thrilling scenes. It is a movie that everyone in the family can watch and enjoy.
Raj B Shetty plays an important role in the film. Knowing what he is capable of as an actor, his contribution to the film does feel a little underwhelming. The other actors Balaji Manohar, Dilip Raj, Gopal Krishna Deshpande, K P Sridhar, Babu Hirannaiah, Apoorva Som and Shaukat Ali fit well into the picture. While situational songs composed by Nilima Rao and Rakesh U P seamlessly blend with the narration, it is Midhun Mukundan’s background score that takes the story forward. Mahira is a well-crafted novel attempt, and definitely a worthy watch.
Team Mangalorean wishes Ms Virginia Rodrigues all success in her future endeavours- and we are all proud of this Mangalorean Woman!
