National Award-winning actress Tara is ecstatic. A veteran of nearly 200 Kannada films, she started her career as a child artiste in 1986.

"I've done films with everyone from (Kannada superstar) Raj Kumar sir -- whose daughter I've played -- to his son, with whom I've played the leading lady."

This is Tara's first National Award. "I've produced Haseena. I was expecting it to win some awards. After all, it deals with a very serious issue. I did a lot of homework to play the Muslim girl. I'm a Hindu woman, and the Muslim culture is beyond my lifestyle. I had to know how a Muslim woman lives at home, what she wears, how she talks. Fortunately, my writer was a Muslim woman. She took me under her wings, coached me about the nuances of her culture, even took me to her village to get familiar with the milieu. A lot of inputs also came from my director."

Tara insists Haseena isn't a slow-paced art film. "We've made it pacy, and want it to reach out to the maximum number of people. What's the point of making an issue-based film if no one watches it? This is one of my first realistic roles. In Karnataka, I'm known more as a commercial artiste. Not that I run around trees -- forget trees, there are no little plants to run around any longer!

"In fact, I'm in Mysore, dancing to a fast-paced song now. It's crazy! Here I am, a National Award winning actress, doing this unbelievable stuff," she laughs.

Tara intends to produce more films. "It's so encouraging to be given a National Award. I want to make more films that give me the opportunity to prove myself as an actress. Earlier, I thought about money. Now, it's time to seriously think about my reputation as an actress."