Raashi Khanna Interview: Meet the ‘Madras’ Prabha

Yes, you read it right. Raashi Khanna, the Madras Cafe debutante in this interview provides necessary answers behind her decision to enter Telugu films, her love for Hyderabad. She also doesn’t miss out on picking up an alien language, balancing life and work, commercial and art cinema.1. Picking up an alien language and getting its nuances right is not an easy task to begin with, even if its a regular with the heroines who make a mark here. How did you deal with it ?I have a common friend who speaks Telugu and thankfully a director who’s terrific with his Hindi. As a language, I felt Telugu was more closer to Hindi than English. There was a week-long workshop organised by the production team prior to the shoot. That was the opportunity I bagged to get my act right. I knew for sure that I wouldn’t be doing justice to the character had I not understood or grasped the essence underneath my lines. Getting to terms with a new language wasn’t as big as a problem I perceived it to be. I walked the extra mile to not mess up with my expressions on and off the sets. I took a maximum of three to four takes2. Having made a passable Hindi film debut, why was this language your preference and probably not the other south Indian ones ?For a newcomer, it’s the script that chooses them and not the other way round. I would be lying if I confess of being flooded with offers after my debut. There were options available but having played a role quite older to my age in Madras Cafe, I was keen on not slotting myself and turn into a possible caricature. Sai Korrapati had watched my part exclusively then and was confident of my ability to fit into the shoes of the character I play, named Prabhavati. I didn’t have to audition for it. It was a heart-tugging film, I knew within the first hearing. There were no second-thoughts  after that. It was the first offer that I had a strong liking to. Meanwhile, I was never quite conscious on choosing Telugu cinema for a debut too. It’s just good cinema I want to be a part of and I am sure of it in this case.3. You weren’t exactly the apple of everyone’s eye when Madras Cafe released. Here, you get the best possible launchpad as an exclusive lead actress with continuous limelight. Are you enjoying the scenario reversal ?I am not the one who takes attention and the pressure too seriously. I don’t live with the baggage of impressing anyone except for the director and the producer. I have been the happiest during the shoot of Oohalu Gusagusalade and know the need to promote the film well on the same measure. But, these all are of no use if they don’t ensure a satisfying product. I focus more on the journey than the end-result. I am in love with the craft and the process behind a film.4. Telugu film industry is known more to worship the male characters than the female ones. In a recent television interview, you too expressed your fears on merely being relegated as a dancing partner. Did Oohalu Gusagusalade help shedding such premonitions ?The narration was such a relief that I was more worried on how would I carry myself for the majority of the film. Telugu cinema has indeed come a long way. There was a time when I wouldn’t have been wrong in knowing that the industry had to mature beyond dancing. But later, I realised that I was living in a self-inflicted dreamy cage.  It was a breath of fresh air to come across something like this and the fact that it respected its female characters as much as the male counterparts was comforting. I am glad to arrive at a time when audiences are welcoming this new-wave cinema.5. You had to shoot for your portions significantly in Vizag as well as Hyderabad. Have you been to these places before ?No, I didn’t get a chance to come here earlier but I assure that Hyderabad is such a nice place to be in. Being a resident of Delhi and having lived in Mumbai, things moved on at a frenetic pace. I like this city more so for it’s laidback nature and the warmth from the people around. The traffic is a relief. (Really ? We then asked how did she arrive at this astounding assumption). For those who beg to differ, you better have a look at Mumbai to justify this. I haven’t explored them enough though. I don’t have many friends here. So, I mostly used to juggle between my guest-house and shoot locations.6. Looking back at the special appearance in Manam, you feel that’ll help spectators identify you better when Oohalu Gusagusalade arrives ?I never had a strategy in place that I’ll do a role in Manam and turn into a recognizable face from there. That intention was never on my mind. I suddenly got a call from Y Supriya from Annapurna Studios to do a small role for the film and I was more than glad to accept it. It was indeed a sweet gesture from their part. I am now happy that the movie has done well. However, that won’t be an excuse to say that people will identify Raashi any better. I in fact doubt if everyone actually did pick or know of my presence in the film.7. Hindi being a language that has a magnanimous reach in and out of the country is more welcoming with eclectic themes, larger budgets and surreal production values. Didn’t the drastic downslide in the scale ever had you worried about your shift to Telugu cinema ? That was a genuine worry. While Hindi is spoken throughout the country, I am now catering myself to a single region. There’s an advantage when you notice that I have a chance to be more prominent through a single language than go haywire in my quest to expand my base. I am by no means quitting Bollywood either. It’s the long wait from my first film that has made you think otherwise about the shift. I maintain that I am open to cinema sans any barriers as long as it satiates my creative intuitions.8. Will your preference for author-backed roles mean that you’ll give a miss to the extravagant commercial ventures where you don’t get to prove much ?As an actress, it’s very important to balance my career graph with reach and also substance. I won’t miss out on a chance to work on films where my character may not necessarily drive a narrative. Commercial films are in fact immensely necessary to make progress as a leading lady. My next film with Sundeep Kishan, a slapstick comedy titled Joru is an attempt at that. I can comfortably leave my brain behind and perform my part. Although I never seriously considered myself as a comic actor, I don’t mind giving it a shot. You never know your strengths until you explore.9. In spite of Shaurya and Srinivas Avasarala ravishing high praises about your command over the language within little time, you didn’t get a chance to dub for yourself. Is there an element of disappointment ?I was initially behind my director to dub for my parts but he was clear I shouldn’t take a gamble. I agree I was mildly disappointed but I later understood the true reason behind his statement. I knew it myself that I haven’t pronounced certain words as well as I would have liked to. Going about it that way  would literally mean dishonouring a language. I only want to start voicing for myself when I am completely sure. I need some time to get there.10. You had certain issues on the traits associated with the character and connecting with it personally. How did you work on that ?The role Prabha is diametrically opposite to what I am in my real life.See, she’s stubborn, arrogant and egoistic. At the same point, you need to make her feel lovable. I lost the plot in a few situations where I didn’t know why was she behaving the way I didn’t expect her to. It took some time for me to empathise with her part after Srinivas wanted me to understand her environs and the grooming more. I got to know her better as the making progressed.11. How significant are songs to a movie and specifically in your case, Oohalu Gusagusalade ?I am not very exposed to Telugu cinema to give a take on this but I can assure you that the songs in OGG are truly situational. They fit into the narrative seamlessly. In the small number of films I have seen like Athadu, Manam and Magadheera, the makers were smart enough to not make the song placements seem forced. I may have to watch more movies to understand the norms here and give a better answer.12. How was Naga Shaurya as a co-actor ?It was great fun working with him. We both had a lot of comic situations where I had these humorous outbursts on the set. He was the one to bring me back to normalcy and prompt in case I forget my lines. As they say acting is reciprocal and synonymous to reaction and coordination, he was very instrumental in pushing the limits with regard to my performance. Sundeep, Shaurya and I are in relatively similar phases as actors and as a result, I continue to share a good equation with them. There’s raw energy in the atmosphere that makes you give your best.13. Did the balance between keeping work and personal life separate go for a toss ?Regardless of fame or any other turns in my life, I will continue to be there for my friends and family. I make it a point to stay in touch with them no matter what. I will make time for them when they need me. I am a conventional nerd who keeps things to my closet and not venture out much to luxurious outings or parties. I read a lot of books and I was in fact labelled shy by my director when I had arrived on the sets. I have and I am aware of the thin line that separates personal life from my work.Interview by Srivathsan N. First published in Cinegoer.net