Bangalore-based model-turned-actress Shirin Shringar is back after a break. Shirin made her debut in Kannada cinema in the Darshan-starrer Dhruva when she was in high school and became a teenage sensation in the Tamil film Thulluvadho Ilamai. She followed it up with a few Tamil films including Student No 1 and Whistle.

Now, she is playing the female lead in the Kannada film AK 56, veteran director N Omprakash Rao's 25th film.

In this interview with Srikanth Srinivasa, the half-Iranian Shirin talks about her career and the reasons for her sabbatical.

Why is it that you have done fewer Kannada films than Tamil or Telugu films?

I am careful about accepting Kannada films due to various factors that include the script, director, producer and the cast.

The offers that I accept must be good and big though the outcome of the movie is not in my hands.

How has the Kannada film industry changed since you began acting?

I can see more professionalism in Kannada cinema than when I started.

People have become more fashion conscious and so film-makers have begun to project the heroine as the glamour quotient with more money being pumped into buying designer wear or hiring designers from Mumbai. Heroines are also portrayed more beautifully than before.

What is your role in the film AK 56?

I play a bit of everything in the movie. I'm this semi-chubby girl with a little bit of craziness. She's smart, without inhibitions, and knows how to get out of situations in a jiffy and transforms herself into someone serious.

I jumped at the offer because of director Omprakash Rao and after evaluating the scale of the production.

What is the role of the heroine in an action film such as this?

I love doing masala films and the usual pot-boilers because of the fun and the ease with which we get work in these films.

There's no shame in seeing such films as every film has its place. People come to watch movies to escape from their problems and to be entertained.

What was it like working with director Omprakash Rao who is known to be a hard taskmaster and who shouts at his cast and crew if he doesn't have his way?

He knows how to draw work from his artistes and his team. Though he is eccentric, he respects his artistes and took care of us so well that he made us feel important.

If he didn't get a shot right, he was ready to take umpteen shots until he got it right.

AK 56 can be billed as your comeback. Why did you take this long break from films?

Everytime I take a break and then accept an offer, the media calls it my 'comeback'.

Yes, I had taken a long break lasting about four years. I took up a course in Art and Culture in Sydney, Australia. I have now started painting and am pursuing it as a hobby. I was fascinated by my friend's ability to paint and as I was good at sketching as a young girl I thought I should take up something that is hands on. I am still learning to paint portraits.

How did your stay in Australia change you as a person?

I was an introvert and I kept to myself. But, after interacting with the friendly Australians, I have opened up to people and have become more open-minded and undiplomatic.

Today, I want to do good cinema with good technicians. In fact, I want to go back to Australia to pursue a course in film direction after I am done with my acting career.

I am passionate about films. Films are not just my livelihood or a vehicle to gain fame.

What kinds of films would you like to direct?

 I would like to follow the typical Bollywood commercial track.

I am interested in making romantic thrillers because I've grown up seeing such films and reading such books.