A journey shaped as much by what happens behind the camera as what happens in front of it.

A film set can begin before sunrise and stretch well past sunset. For the crew, the day starts before the actors arrive, with departments coordinating and the first shot being prepared. For actors, the rhythm shifts to call sheets, hair and makeup, coffee and long waits between takes.

Before Kavya Anil knew the wait inside a vanity van, she knew the rush outside it.

“I love being on a set because almost everyone is happy to be there, even after a late night,” she says. “Everyone is so passionate about just being there.” For Kavya, that energy is part of the appeal. Crew members arrive before the artists and often even before the director, making sure everything from art and costume to the requirements of the first shot is ready.

Her journey began in production before she stepped in front of the camera, first through short films such as Melagu Rasam and Malargal Kaeten, followed by Por, With Love and Nooru Saami. Having been part of production, Kavya understands the pressures on assistant directors, debut filmmakers and crews keeping a shoot moving.

“Even though I’ve started acting, I don’t feel removed from the set. This is what I’ve been doing since I graduated,” she shares. Many of her friends are assistant directors and writers themselves, often developing scripts and pitching projects, which means the concerns of a first-time filmmaker or an AD trying to keep a day on schedule are already familiar territory.

Interestingly, acting itself was not the most unfamiliar part.

“What was new was the post-release portion. Interviews and all of that scared me because I didn’t know what to say,” she admits.

Performance had already been part of her world through dance, theatre and short films. What still remains, however, is a certain nervousness before an important scene. Familiar faces on set help settle it.

There are quieter stretches too. Between shots, Kavya usually has a book close by. Crime and thrillers are her preferred fast reads, though her bookshelf moves easily between Jane Austen, Ayn Rand and fantasy. On set, coffee is another constant. In Chennai, she is perfectly happy relying on the city’s filter coffee; while shooting elsewhere, she has occasionally carried her own.

In With Love, Kavya’s performance as Anisha grew from what had worked naturally in the audition. “Whatever comes naturally to you, you can do it,” she recalls being told on set.

The performance developed through rehearsals and conversations with the director rather than a rigid technique. Interestingly, the emotional reactions worried her less than the practical challenge of remembering lines.

There is still, she admits, a certain alertness that comes with performance: getting the lines right before a shot, being careful with pronunciation during dubbing and watching the director closely for that final reassurance. But in With Love and Nooru Saami, working with directors who created a relaxed atmosphere helped that early nervousness gradually settle.

“As much as I love doing it, I’m always looking at the director to make sure they’re completely convinced,” she shares.

OFF-SCREEN NOTES

• Go-to reset: Beach, coffee or hot chocolate after pack-up
• Personal style: Relaxed silhouettes, bright colours and pastels
• Creative side: Bharatanatyam, painting, drawing and design
• Reading mood: Crime, thrillers, classics and fantasy
• Dream escape: A long-awaited Europe trip

Her ambitions, meanwhile, move in very different directions. She is drawn to light, feel-good stories that leave audiences smiling, but she is equally fascinated by fantasy.

“If we are ever able to do something like Indian fantasy, along the lines of Game of Thrones, a version of that would be incredible,” she says. The contrast makes sense when you look at her own viewing habits: Kavya gravitates towards easy, comforting films, while her reading often ventures much further into fantasy.

And acting has not erased her interest in what happens behind the lens.

Kavya still enjoys sitting with writer and filmmaker friends while scripts are being discussed and developed. She is hesitant to claim writing or direction for herself just yet, but there is one part of filmmaking she knows she wants to retain.

“Something that I would definitely want to keep doing would be production,” she says. Creating productions for films, she adds, is something she would genuinely like to explore further.

Once pack-up is called, the energy does not necessarily disappear. In Chennai, a good shooting day often ends near the beach, over coffee or hot chocolate with friends. If nobody is around, Kavya is equally happy sitting alone in a café with a book. In Bengaluru, where her parents live, friends and home usually take over after work.

Travel follows a similarly relaxed rhythm. Rather than racing through landmarks, she prefers adding a couple of free days to a shoot and simply staying on. Goa, Fort Kochi and Mumbai each hold different associations for her, while Europe remains a long-standing travel wish.

As for where the acting eventually takes her, Kavya is less concerned with geography than the role itself. Tamil cinema remains especially close because, as she puts it, “everything started here,” but a compelling part in another language would be reason enough to explore further.

The call sheet may carry her name differently now, but the set itself has not become unfamiliar. Kavya still notices the same moving parts, the same rush before a shot and the same people holding it all together.

Only now, when the camera turns, she is standing on the other side of it.