The Union Public Service Commission Civil Service Examination (UPSC CSE) is considered one of the most difficult competitive exams in the country. Every year, thousands of aspirants appear for the tough examination, but only a few of them can clear it and become administrative officers. These aspirants spend a lot of time and effort preparing for the exam. But, there’s one aspirant who started off her career in the entertainment industry as an actress but later pursued and became an IAS officer by clearing the exam. Despite having a successful career, the former actress showed her determination and was successful.

As UPSC is a very tough examination, many aspirants tend to leave it midway, but HS Keerthana, former actress in the Kannada film industry, left that and pursued a career in administrative services. Keerthana was a popular child artist who appeared in various daily soaps like Karpoorada Gombe, Ganga-Yamuna, Muddina Aliya, Upendra, A, Kanoor Heggadati, Circle Inspector, O Mallige, Lady Commissioner, Habba, Dore, Simhadri, Janani, Chiguru, and Putani Agent. But as the actress grew up, she was inclined towards the UPSC.

According to reports, before starting her preparations for UPSC CSE, she appeared for the Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) exam in 2011 and cleared the exam successfully. After clearing it, she served as a KAS Officer for two years and later decided to pursue UPSC and started her preparations.

Reportedly, it was found that the former child actress couldn’t clear it in the first five attempts, and it was her sixth attempt when she cleared it. She didn’t lose hope, and her determination helped her achieve her dreams.

Keerthana appeared for the UPSC CSE for the first time in 2013. In 2020, she got through and became an IAS officer with an All India Rank (AIR) of 167. She joined as an Assistant Commissioner of Mandya District, Karnataka, for her first posting.