Raashi Khanna seems unperturbed by the hustle and bustle around the promotions of her debut Tamil film,
Imaikkaa Nodigal
. Looking pretty in a dark blue front-bow top, paired with a striped white palazzo, Raashi says that she wants to surprise us by speaking fluently in Tamil, not now but the next time. “I have already picked up Telugu and I have begun learning Tamil,” she smiles.
For someone who didn’t want to become an actress, Raashi says that she takes pride in saying that after her Hindi movie, Madras Café, she decided to take the plunge. “When I heard about the auditions for the film, I didn’t even want to attend it. But my manager kept pushing me and I was wondering why on earth they would cast me. Eventually, I attended the audition and things fell in place. And yes, I didn’t want to become an actress. But when I saw myself on screen for the first time, and seeing how moved the audience was with my performance, that was the moment I told myself that I will do this for the rest of my life,” says Raashi.
Having earned a name for herself in Tollywood, Raashi says she “obviously” wanted to be a part of the Tamil film industry. “I have always been fascinated by
Kollywood
because of the interesting scripts and genres that they come up with. For an actor to grow, she needs to play roles that put her out of her comfort zone. And Tamil industry provides that. Probably that is why I have always had this desire to do Tamil films.”
She says that she has watched quite a few Tamil movies and Vikram Vedha is her favourite. She adds,“I liked Theri and Mersal because of
Vijay. So today, I am happy to be doing films here.” In Imaikkaa Nodigal, she says that she plays a girl-next-door role. “I am kicked about playing a variety of roles here — a character who is a little cuckoo in her head in Shaitan Ka Bachcha; a mature woman in Adanga Maru, and a very different role in Vishal’s film. I could not have asked for more,” she says.
Ask her about choosing a multi-starrer for her Tamil debut, and she is all smiles. “I loved the screenplay and my character. I was one of the first persons to be approached for the film. The fact that actors such as Anurag Kashyap, Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi are part of the project just makes the film a big one. I don’t feel any insecurity as an actor. I have a strong part to play in the film, and that’s all I wanted. In fact, I am only too happy to be a part of the film which has a stellar cast.”
Though she didn’t get to work with Vijay Sethupathi or Nayan, Raashi says that she learnt a lot just by observing Anurag’s acting. “He is honest and down-to-earth. You learn a lot about cinema from him. He told me that I need to think out of the box as an actor. And that’s what I pretty much noticed about him when I saw the teaser of the film.”
With a lot of debate going on north Indian actors doing native roles in the south, Raashi says an actor must invest time and work towards giving it their best shot. She explains, “I will take my example. When I started in Telugu, audiences saw only a north Indian actress in a south film. But in my upcoming movie, Srinivasa Kalyanam, I play a Telugu bride. I found out about the customs and traditions, and how a Telugu bride actually looks. And when the teaser of the film released, many people said that I indeed looked like a Telugu girl. Honestly, it depends on how much an actor can get into the character. It is a personal choice… you can’t say that all actors from the north will fit into a south role. But you are an actor at the end of the day and you need to fit into all kinds of roles.” She adds that it is one of the reasons she insists on picking up the language before she works on a film.
Raashi says, “If you want to deliver as an actor, you need to know the language. If you don’t know what you are mouthing, how will you perform? For me, it is important to know the language. That is your homework and you should do it.”
The actress says that she in a happy space and is looking forward to doing different kinds of roles. “I don’t have any acting or theatre background. I never thought I would become an actor. In the beginning, I didn’t know anything. But now, I am an actor and I value it. There is so much love and affection you get. So much is given to you. I have understood cinema and its process,” she says.
And at this stage in her career, Raashi says that she will continue to do both performance-oriented and the formulaic song-and-dance roles. “I enjoy the song-and-dance routine. But I am also particular about the story. I am glad I am getting roles that balance both,” says Raashi, adding, “The only thing, perhaps, that I don’t want to happen is being stereotyped. Screen time doesn’t matter if I get to play varied roles. I am kicked about even doing a character with grey shade. But I shouldn’t be repeating the roles in every film. As for my dream role, anything that makes me move out of my comfort zone is my dream role.”