Raashi Khanna, who will soon be seen in Bhramam, her second Malayalam film after Villain, says that she believes the actors and directors of Mollywood are 'extremely daring'. Speaking to TNM on the upcoming film that will be released on Amazon Prime Video on October 7, Raashi says that though she has reprised Radhika Apte's role from the Hindi original, Andhadhun, she was not influenced by the actor.
"I watched Andhadhun when it was released. But later, when I got the opportunity to play Radhika's role, I did not watch the film again, because I did not want to get influenced by the way Radhika played it. I wanted to approach it like any other script. I thought about how I'm bringing the role to people, how I would play it. I genuinely feel that it is very different from the way Radhika did it. I feel she was a little edgy and I am a little mellow. People will see that difference. There was a certain element that all actors brought in to their characters that makes the film different from the original," Raashi says.
Raashi started her career in 2013 with the Hindi movie Madras Cafe. Though the journey from there was not so easy, she grew to be a successful actor especially in the Telugu and Tamil industries.
"I have had my highs and lows, I have learnt a lot as an actor and grown as a person. Working in all these languages, in different places, I got so much exposure to different cultures. That makes you less judgmental and a better actor. I am happy that I get these opportunities," she says.
Raashi played a supporting character in the 2017 Malayalam film Villain and in the 2018 Tamil film Imaikkaa Nodigal. She does not insist on playing the lead as long as she feels her character will leave a mark, she says.
"When you are a secure actor, it really doesn't matter whether you are in a supporting role or in the lead role. I feel some supporting roles are as important as lead roles. For me, it is about the character and about the industry where I work. We should be secure about our career as an actor rather than worry about the role. Even if I am there for two minutes, people should know that I was there and I brought something extra to the film," the Tholi Prema actor says.
Raashi was amazed at how Malayalam actors are so passionate about their craft, and pay attention to minute details while playing a character.
"I was able to learn a lot working with Mohanlal and Prithviraj as they are so obsessed with acting. It was an amazing experience. They focus so much on detail. I could see so much passion in them," she says.
She also feels that over the years, women actors have been getting better roles and that the lines between the genders are slowly blurring.
"There is a long way to go, but still there are a lot of changes in the industry. There are characters being written for women. 10 years ago, a film like Andhadhun wouldn't have worked. It has worked now. I see a lot of great changes over the years," she says.
Acting in different languages demands that she pay attention to the smallest details, Raashi points out. "Not only language, the cultures are also different when we work in different industries. It was always a process of learning for me. When I act in a movie, my character should be suitable to the culture of the place, the way I dress. It's not just the language. There are many little things that we have to take care of before acting across states. It is quite fascinating," she adds.
She is also excited to see how the Kerala audience will accept her after Bhramam.
"I am waiting to see how people receive me in Malayalam. I would love to do more films in Malayalam," she says. Bhramam directed by Ravi K Chandran, also stars Prithviraj, Unni Mukundan, Mamta Mohandas, Shankar Panickar and others.