Raashi Khanna is one of the very few female actors who have succeeded in South and now creating a buzz in Hindi entertainment landscape. Her performance in recently released psychological thriller – Rudra The Edge Of Darkness has won has accolades from the audience and critics alike.
In a chat with entertainment journalist Puja Talwar, she shares a lot about her experiences, journey and plans. Let’s take a look –
I enjoy the best of both south and north
So, basically, initially, I think I was a typical Delhi girl when I was there but when I went to the south, I became like a South Indian girl there. At least specifically two years back when my accent changed to South Indian. My English became like that and I was looking in their slang and their language but destiny had other plans and that brings me back into Hindi into my home space. And I feel I feel like I’m going back to my roots now.
I’m so glad I’m at this time in our film, fraternity that you know, there’s so much opportunity for so many of us actors. And now finally we northern and southern are together and now we can call it the ‘Indian film industry.’
I have got special love for thrillers as an actor?
I love watching thrillers myself, my favorite, actually, Dexter with the gray shades. You know, I love characters with grey shades because that’s closer to reality. That’s who we are. Everything is grey, there is no black and white. So I think that’s something I really relate to. Plus I love that thrill of being always on the edge, what’s going to happen next? The excitement that keeps building up. So yeah, I’ve always had a love for thrillers and I have attracted that in my life. And really happy to have them with us happy and coming back again with the trigger throw. So yeah, I mean, like it. I love it.
I no longer plan for the future
I don’t plan the future at all. And I think especially post the pandemic, I started taking myself more like you don’t know what if you will die tomorrow, right? So what are you? What are you you’re, you’re a nobody, you can die. And at any point, it really doesn’t matter. So what matters is right now, how are you? How’s your mental health? Are you happy doing what you’re doing? So I think I’m, I’m always at peace, I’m always happy.
I’m always inclined towards spirituality. So I use my time fully. You know, I give myself time to balance things. So I think I think I’ve evolved as a person a lot over the years. And yeah, I’m pretty happy with my life right now.
So it’s not really that I manifested that I’ll do all that. But I believe in hard work and destiny. But I also feel that whatever’s destined is fine. But tomorrow, when you look back, you shouldn’t be able to say that there was a problem with me or my effort. And that’s why I use utilize time and use it in the best possible way. And I’m very hard on myself. So I think that automatically, maybe it opens doors because I use every day as it comes free.
Watch full interview here –
Working with Ajay Devgan in Rudra was a rewarding experience
I’ve grown up watching his movie. So of course, there was a little bit of a child in me when I understood that I was going to work with him and I was very nervous to meet him because I’d heard that he is somebody who doesn’t talk much and you know, he just keeps doing this. I will look it looks like that. But when I went, I think he was the most chilled-out co-star ever. He said chill and he broke the ice on the first day.
I am very clear with my choices
As an actress, my biggest plus point has been that I know when to say no to things and when to say yes to things. That is not something that I have learned. It’s just inbuilt that I’ve never understood how I know it, how I know what to say yes or no to but I’ve always, and I think when this opportunity came, I never firstly thought I’d go back to Hindi.
Honestly, as I said, Two years back, I was very comfortable in South films. But these opportunities came and I didn’t seek them. I didn’t run after them. I didn’t think who may come over. And as an actor, you really cannot plan what your next film is going to be.
I mean, they have to want you as much as you want it, which normally doesn’t happen. I think, I think for this, I was probably just blessed to have the right opportunity at the right time.
And I remember there was one more show that I was getting as a lead which I didn’t like, which I said no, no, because money doesn’t matter. What you pick at the end of the day is what actually decides your career.
I hope women get their due in the film industry
I hope that you know, women get better characters and better paychecks also, because I still feel like we don’t get paid even 1% of what the boys get. And even if you’ve justified saying that men have bigger markets and all I think we are we as a society need to change first at the very root where we give an actor female actors much as much importance as we do to give to a male actor, which we don’t still, we will also run what, and watch a film, you know, led by a male actor, then we will go to watch a film led by a female actor, I think the problem is in the society. And unless that changes, nothing is going to change over time.
It’s a mindset that needs to totally change. And now since all of you, it’s not just you, everybody around is saying that maybe it will also come to fruition.
