New-age role models

I am influenced by Hannah Montana, Gossip Girls and Beverly Hills 90210 and have to watch these shows without fail. The girls wear fancy clothes and look amazing on screen. We like them because they do things which we love like dressing up, partying and hanging out with friends.” This is not just what student Pratiksha S, 14, thinks but it is the voice of a generation of youngsters whose ‘role-models’ are old enough to be their classmates.

Sex, drugs, all-night partying, hospitalisations and drunken driving are what tweens and young adults are emulating. What they don’t understand is that these celebs have achieved fame through hard work and dedication. “I lost my father when I was a teenager. I had a lot of responsibilities and took to modeling to earn money,” explains Sandalwood actress Anusha. “Being a part of the glamour world is not easy as there is a lot of competition. Getting fame early can change your life. Under pressure, young celebs sometimes do things which they regret. Youngsters should learn from these celebs on how to be independent,” she adds.

Actress Anusha talks about bringing up two adopted girls

Anusha, model and actress, is bringing up two girls she has adopted.

The Venkata in Sankata actress first adopted Sangeetha (12) seven years ago and Maheshwari (7) two years ago.


Happy family: Anusha with Maheshwari (left) and Sangeetha


"Both these girls are from very poor families in Suryapet, Hyderabad, my mom's native place. When I was young, I lost my father and I know how difficult it is to come up in life. Due to financial problems, I started working during my college days. So, I decided to adopt these children and want to give them a good education, see to it that they get a good job and marry nice guys."

Sangeetha is studying in the seventh standard at Christ School while Maheshwari is in the first standard at Johnson Public School, HSR Layout. "Both study very well and are among the top five in class. Sangeetha wants to become a doctor and Maheshwari a teacher," says Anusha.

Anusha loves teaching kids and helps them with their homework. While at it, she also teaches children in the neighbourhood.

"Both of them are very attached to me and my mother. They call me akka (sister) and my mother amma," she says.

Sangeetha's biological mother works as a domestic help and her father as a coolie while Maheshwari's mother is a housewife. Her father works in a field.

"I call their parents and make them talk to these kids. Their parents come during vacations and stay with them for about a week. During their stay, they go sight-seeing in Bangalore. These kids don't like to go home and are more comfortable with us. They love watching movies and I take them to PVR every once in a while. They also love dancing."

And the best part is that the two girls are "very attached to each other".

"I want to take care of them till the end," says Anusha.

No room for newcomers

 

While the Sandalwood industry has willingly accepted actresses from other states, local talent is ignored. Anusha, a Mumbai-based model and student of Adarsha Film Institute, says that luck plays an important factor. “No matter whom you meet, all it takes is luck. The right approach at the right time makes all the difference. Even if you get lucky, you have to struggle for four to five years to gain a foothold in the industy,” says Anusha.

Coorg and Ooty for long drives

Anusha, Model

I fly down to Hyderabad often during the weekends mainly to attend parties. There is a pub called Touch which hosts awesome parties there. I think the city really rocks when it comes to partying. Also, since I have my cousins there it’s never boring for me and I always have company to party with.

I also visit Mangalore often. I just visited the coastal town last month. We went driving down in search of Murudeshwar Temple. We were told that it’s very close to Mangalore but had one hell of an adventure finding the place which took us a lot more time than anticipated. But, once we found the place it was an absolute relief. We had fun boating and swimming.

Next weekend I plan to go down to Dharmasthala. Karnataka has some very beautiful temples and I love visiting them. I feel really good visiting temples as they give me peace of mind.

Since I love animals, Bandipur National Park is another place I have in mind for visiting whenever I get a long weekend off. I have heard that there are cottages in the middle of the forest where tourist can spend the night. I am really excited to spend some time there. I am indeed looking forward to the experience.

I love to go on long drives. Coorg and Ooty are my next long drive weekend destinations.

So, what's sexual harassment?

'Modelling is safe'
Anusha, model

I have been modelling for the past four years and feel this field is safe. I haven't come across such a situation. If someone pays a compliment, saying: 'You look hot', it is not sexual harassment. It depends on how individuals take it. If something happens with the consent of the other person, it is not sexual abuse either. But when a person is hurt mentally, it is sexual harassment.

Stalk review

It's a record of sorts for Sania Mirza two stalkers arrested in as many days. Both Mohammed Ashraf and Ajay Singh Yadav claim to be in love with Sania.

But then, isn't that an occupational hazard for celebrities?

We get Bangalore's glitterati to open up about their stalkers...

Anusha, model and actress: I had gone to Mumbai a few years back on a modelling assignment when I started getting calls and SMSes from this person who wouldn't even spare me at night. He would say: 'I want to talk to you and meet you. If you don't talk to me, you won't stay in Bombay any more'. I was scared as I was new to the place.

He troubled me for about a month-and-a-half. The interesting thing was he knew a bit about my background. A few days later, I came back to Bangalore and the first thing I did was to change my number.

Now for the past three days, I am getting calls and messages from a guy saying he wants to be my friend. He also wants to know how my dog and cat are, etc. He calls at 10 pm and sometimes even at midnight. I think I will have to change my number again.

Mind your language: Citizens endorse EC's dictat to politicians

Actress Anusha, who stars in the recent Kannada comedy Venkata in Sankata, said, "This is common in politics and the election authorities should let it go. But ideally. personal rivalry should not come into politcs and the fight should be fair and legal."