Raashi Khanna on Srinivasa Kalyanam, working with Anurag Kashyap, and upcoming Tamil releases

In 2014, Raashi Khanna made her southern debut with the heartwarming Telugu romantic drama Oohalu Gusagusalade, in which her performance was appreciated by critics and audiences alike. Four years later, Raashi is an established star in Telugu filmdom, all set to test her luck in Kollywood with projects such as Imaikka Nodigal, Adanga Maru and Shaitan Ka Bachcha among others. In this exclusive chat with Firstpost, she opens up about her acting journey, forthcoming Telugu release Srinivasa Kalyanam and why how signed nearly half a dozen Tamil projects even without a single release yet to her credit. [caption id=“attachment_4911401” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Raashi Khanna. Image from Twitter/@YtalkiesLive[/caption] In her four-year long career, Raashi has managed to deliver one blockbuster a year. It’s been quite an eventful journey so far for the 27-year-old. “My career so far has been slow and steady and that’s the way I like it. It’s been mostly highs and a few lows. This journey has made me empathetic; thanks to the different characters I’ve played and it’s helped me to connect with different kinds of people. These years in the industry have made me a better person and actor,” says Raashi, crediting films such as Oohalu Gusagusalade, Supreme and Tholiprema for changing her. “These films have changed me and helped me realise a lot about myself. For instance, Supreme made me understand that I have a comic side which I’ve never explored before. Until I worked in Supreme, I didn’t know I could pull off comedy on screen. Tholiprema squeezed me emotionally. It was extremely tough to play a character with different variations. Varsha as a character is not someone I really liked but I learnt to accept that people are not always perfect. We are not perfect and we need to accept our flaws. It was an enriching experience to play someone who is very different than me.” Talking about her next Telugu release Srinivasa Kalyanam, slated to hit the screens on 9 August, Raashi said it’s a film that familiarised her with Telugu culture. “It’s a film very close to my heart. Even though I’ve worked in many Telugu films, I never had the opportunity to learn about Telugu traditions. It’s a story that talks about family and wedding. As a generation, we’re ignoring the importance of family. The film shows what we’re truly missing in life and it made me very emotional. I’m an old-school girl and I still see marriage as a pious institution. I’m sure this film will make audiences feel the same way.” Directed by Satish Vegesna, the film also stars Nithiin and Prakash Raj in crucial roles. This year, Raashi will make her Tamil debut with Atharvaa, Nayanthara and Anurag Kashyap starrer Imaikka Nodigal, which is tentatively confirmed to hit the screens on 24 August. Raashi has signed four more Tamil projects and explaining why she didn’t wait to test the waters in Kollywood, she said: “Thanks to streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon, audiences are seeing films of other languages. Therefore, I’m sure a lot of Tamil audiences would’ve seen my work. I’m also pretty blessed because I’ve been offered so many projects even before the release of my first film. I’m glad I’m foraying into Tamil cinema as I’ve always been fascinated by the work in this industry.” Raashi signed Imaikka Nodigal even before Nayanthara and Anurag came on board. Recalling the experience of working with these popular stars, Raashi said: “I didn’t get to share screen space with Nayanthara. I worked with Atharvaa and Anurag. It was wonderful to work alongside Anurag. We spoke about each other’s work. He made me realise that when you play a character, the impact it leaves is more important that its screen time. Imaikka Nodigal is a film where each character will leave an impact.” Raashi is equally excited about her other Tamil films – Saithan Ka Bachchan and Adanga Maru. “I’m lucky that each character in my Tamil film is very different. In Imaikka Nodigal, it’s a simple, girl-next-door type of role. In Saithan Ka Bachchan, I play a character that is slightly cuckoo in the head. In Adanga Maru, I play a modern-day woman who smokes and drinks.” She also has Tamil remake of Temper with Vishal in her kitty.