Rachita Ram, who has maintained the image of a typical commercial heroine till now, is venturing into new territory with her upcoming film, I Love You. She is becoming a talking point for doing a bold sequence in a song. The actor, however, is keeping her cards close to her chest.“I will be in a better position to talk about this song after the film’s release,” she said. In a conversation with City Express, she talked about associating with Upendra in R Chandru’s upcoming directorial, her view about love in the context of the film’s plot as well as her personal take about ‘love’.
“I Love You, as viewed by the director, is not about attraction or infatuation; it is about life. Dharmika, my character, sees a difference between romance, sex and life. How honesty and loyalty work as major factors in love is what is something explored through my character,” Rachita said, adding that personally, she feels that ‘love’ is a feeling that has different perceptions for different people. “Practically, no person can give 100 percent love to one person. It is divided between your parents, siblings, friends, and soul mates. I also feel that possessiveness at times become important in love.”
When Rachita got the chance to work with Upendra, she decided to go on set with a blank mind. “I am one of those people who grew up watching films starring Upendra, and those directed by him. I used to take time to understand his kind of films. I also realised that a subject considered by this multifaceted actor is expected to have a unique part for the heroine. While doing the film, I felt that I am the female of version of Upendra in I Love You, imbibing references from his roles in A and Upendra,” she says.
Talking about what prompted her to film the bold scene in the song sequence, Rachita said, “Imagine two people in love, who are meeting after five years. How do they express the gap? This is exactly what the director has tried to explain through this song. At present, I can’t reveal the scenes before and after this track, but it has a good placement.” Rachita added that she has not done something that hasn’t been seen before.
However, she admitted that this particular song has made people see her in different light too. “Some people have felt that I don’t have films, and that is why I agreed to do a bold scene. People have not seen me doing this kind of a role or a song, but 20 per cent of them felt, ‘why not?’ As a heroine, I have all the right to play different kinds of characters. Probably, my statement back then, saying I don’t like wearing a bikini on screen, or I am not willing to do intimate scenes, has now led to these discussions. All I want to say to them is, I did it because the role demanded it. Having said that, I have also decided not to be a part of such kind of sequences in future,” she pointed out.
Rachita is thankful to Upendra, and his involvement in this song sequence, which helped her get comfortable. “On the first day of the shooting of the song, I said I was feeling uncomfortable. Then he explained that we should be getting into the characters - Dharmika and Santhosh. He also explained that all of us have a family and don’t want anyone in discomfort. In fact, Uppi turned director while shooting for this particular track, and we have tried to bring out the director’s vision,” she recalled, adding, “I Love You is an amazing movie for all kinds of viewers, and one should not judge the heroine or the film just by one song.”