Bangalore, Nov 5 (NationPress) Actress Meghana Raj has been honored with the Karnataka State Award for Best Actress due to her remarkable performance in the Kannada movie ‘Iruvudellava Bittu’. She recently shared a heartfelt post on social media, reminiscing about how her late husband Chiranjeevi Sarja had foreseen her winning this prestigious award while she was filming.

In her Instagram post, Meghana Raj reflected, "In 2017, I committed to three Kannada films. One was a major budget project featuring the industry's top talents. I was torn between taking on this film (Iruvudellava Bittu) with a debut director, where I portray a mother, and preparing for my upcoming engagement, fearing that playing a mother could hinder my career at such a pivotal moment."

She detailed how her husband supported her decision. "Chiru asked me two pivotal questions that day. ‘Who is the star of this big-budget film?’ I answered, and he smiled. Then he asked, ‘Who leads in Iruvudellava Bittu?’ I named my co-stars, and he replied, ‘YOU are the lead. This is your film. Don’t worry about the audience's reaction; just focus on your craft, and everything else will fall into place!’"

Meghana also mentioned that this was the only film set, aside from 'Aatagara', that her husband ever visited. "He stayed near the monitor during a crucial scene and, after my shot, looked at me and declared, 'You will win the State Award for this Kuttimma!' In January 2020, the first person I called to share my award news was CHIRU. He exclaimed, ‘Congratulations, Kuttimma! I knew you would win big with this film!’" she reflected.

Wearing her muhurtha saree for the award ceremony held special significance, as she felt it was important to carry a piece of him with her.

Meghana expressed gratitude to her director and the entire film crew for their unwavering support. She said, "I thank my team @kaanthakannalli, my director for crafting such a beautiful character! My co-actors Shrimahadev and Tilak, who were incredibly supportive, our co-director Somu, who kept the atmosphere light after intense scenes, would be proud today! We miss him dearly. Our music director Shridhar V Sambhram elevated our performances with his brilliant music! And a huge thank you to my parents for their constant encouragement, and to my beloved audience who have watched this film multiple times! I cherish you all!"