Milana Nagaraj interview: On pregnancy, returning to films and hunt for strong roles

Kannada actor Milana Nagaraj, who broke through with the ‘Love Mocktail’ films, opens up on returning to work after pregnancy, her evolution as an actor and her love for films driven by female characters

“I am a confident person,” asserts Milana Nagaraj when asked if she had doubts about the fate of her career during her pregnancy break. I mention Kareena Kapoor Khan’s concerns, as expressed in her book, Kareena Kapoor’s Pregnancy Bible. The Bollywood star had spoken about feeling distressed and anxious about her career. Milana denies having uncertain thoughts about her journey ahead.

“Even if I wasn’t trained in acting, I wasn’t afraid to face the camera when I made my debut. I have always been upbeat about life. It’s been only two months since I delivered, and people can’t believe I am already promoting my next film. Perhaps it’s because of my discipline, which comes from being a sportsperson,” says the actor, a former national-level swimmer.

“I put on a certain amount of weight during my pregnancy and knew it was natural. I told myself I would be my usual self soon after the delivery. I have surprised myself with how quickly I am back doing film-related activities,” she adds.

Milana calls herself an “active person” and admits that her pregnancy period was tricky. “Be it any day, I can’t process the fact that I have nothing to do. I stopped going to theatres during pregnancy, and there were no shoots,” she says.

“After six months, I travelled to Bali, Indonesia, and it was a good break. I spent the rest of the time reading and watching films. I managed to stay in touch with films by dubbing for Aaram Aravindaswamy, and during the initial days of my pregnancy, I promoted For Regn. So somehow, I was involved in work.”

Milana stars opposite Aniissh Tejeshwar in Aaram Aravindaswamy, the Kannada relationship drama that hits screens on November 22, 2024. Having struck a hit chemistry with actor and husband Darling Krishna with films such as Love Mocktail, Love Mocktail 2, and Kausalya Supraja Rama, Milana feels it was time she was part of a fresh combination. 

“People find it refreshing to see new on-screen pairs. One actor I admire the most in this aspect is Samantha Ruth Prabhu. In recent times, her chemistry with any hero has been so convincing. I am sure she puts in a lot of effort to bring that on screen, and I want to do that as well,” she says.