Ragini Prajwal is making her debut as a full-fledged heroine in Raghu Samarth’s directorial, Law. However, this upcoming actor needs no introduction. She has already chalked out her identity as a professional dancer and fitness enthusiast, and says that her transition to acting just happened. I come from a typical Thanjavur family, where anything and everything to do with classical art has been appreciated, and that’s how it started. According to my mother, my dancing began when I was in her womb because she would often sense that kick from me, for Madhuri Dixit’s song, Ek Do Teen. It was more a filmi kahani when my mother already knew that I will be a dancer.
I began at the age of 4. I started with Bharatanatyam, then went to Shiamak Davar’s school for eight years. I was associated with Imran Sardhariya for the show Boogie Woogie in the 1990s. Now I am continuing with my guru, Nirupama Rajendra, for 14 years, and performing Kathak. I was also into modelling for eight years,” says Ragini.
Ahead of the release of Law on Amazon Prime Video, the actor tells CE that everything best came together in the making of this legal drama. The film created by Puneeth Rajkumar’s PRK Productions, it brings together producer Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar and Govindu, director Raghu Samarth, and a lot of senior actors. For Ragini, her husband — actor Prajwal Devaraj — and father-in-law, senior actor Devaraj, along with the entire family have been her go-to people, from whom she has been learning nuances of acting right at home.
Ragini has earlier been part of a short film, Rishabhapriya. However, she was surprised when the Law director chose her to play the lead. “When Raghu came over with the script, it impressed Prajwal and me. People generally come home with scripts for the men in the house, and this time it was quite a shocker because it was for me,” says Ragini, adding, “After getting married, nobody thinks of starting their acting career. In that way, I am blessed... being with my parents and now in-laws, who have always been supportive of my choice of work. However, I could never see myself running around trees.
Though I can do it on stage, I cannot romance on the silver screen. Law is the best debut I could have had.” Even though she was familiar with the camera, Ragini admits that playing the role of a lawyer in her first film was quite challenging. “I am used to being a classical dancer, who usually need to emote more. But this character wanted me to do just the opposite -- subtle acting. The workshops just before the shoot helped me get into the character slowly. Prajwal too supported me. He even took time to come with me to Mysuru and was present on the sets to help me with the dialogue delivery,” she recalls.
Wearing the black coat was a spine-chilling experience, she says, adding that sharing screen space with senior actors like Avinash, Achyuth Kumar and Sudha Rani was a little nerve-wrecking in the beginning. “For most people, ‘a typical heroine’ is one who plays a bubbly role and looks glamorous, but this was not the case with Law. It was a difficult role to play, and the court scenes were the hardest. The team worked well together, they gave me freedom and allowed me to take time and perform,” she says.
Ragini could relate to the character Nandini, who is strong and straightforward. “She is a law graduate and tackles the entire situation on her own. That’s one of the reasons I think all women should watch it, and see how the drama unfolds,” says Ragini, recalling a few scenes from the film. “A courtroom drama demands that the dialogues are spoken in one go. I had a scene with Avinash sir, which was so intense that I did not require glycerine to keep my eyes moist. I thought we could emote well. The court sequence put me in a rapid-fire mode, and I thought that went very well too,” she shares.
Ragini has no regrets that her first film as the heroine is getting an OTT release. “Of course, going by the checklist of my wishes, I wanted to see myself on the big screen, but at the same time, I realised that Law is a film that can do well on streaming platforms. I can reach out to more than 200 countries, and this kind of opening is really good,” she says. Now that she has got a warm welcome in tinsel town, she says she wants to go with the flow. “I never planned to do a film. So if somebody asks what next, I say, I am a dancer, fitness enthusiast, homemaker... I can be any of those. Meanwhile, if a film comes my way, why not,” she says.