Talented young actress Raashi Khanna seeks to do roles with more substance as she gears up for her upcoming film Shivam. The actress, who made her Tollywood debut with 2014 blockbuster Manam, says she doesn’t want to be restricted to glamorous roles and is looking for something more meaningful.
“I don’t want to be stuck in a corner and do a few songs. I want to do a role in a film which is memorable. I don’t want to be known as a glamour doll. I want to be known and recognised as an actor,” expresses Raashi, ahead of the release of Shivam.
Known for her performances in films like Oohalu Gusagusalade and Jill, Raashi is excited to be a part of Shivam, which she says is a unique love story.
“I play a character called Tanu, who is always facing a tussle between the heart and the mind. If you ask her to do something she will agree, but if you demand something from her, she will never do it. There’s a constant battle between the hero and heroine in the film and that’s probably because of the love they have for each other. It is a very interesting take on love,” Raashi explains.
The actress is paired opposite Ram Pothineni and says he had a calming influence on her.
“Ram is lovely co-star. He was supportive and he understood my limitations on the film set. I was scared of dance sequences, so he would be patient and would wait for me to learn the steps properly. Even while enacting scenes, whenever I got stuck, he would help me. Our chemistry comes across so well because we’re really comfortable with each other and the credit for that goes to Ram,” observes Raashi. Shedding further light on Shivam, which is directed by Srinivasa Reddy, Raashi says it has a bit of everything in it to keep the viewers interested.
“It has all the elements that an entertainer requires. It has romance, comedy and it’s overall a high-voltage film,” she quips.
Apart from Shivam, Raashi will also be seen opposite Ravi Teja in Bengal Tiger, which will hit screens on November 5. “I’m excited to have two releases in two months, and I’m really looking forward to Bengal Tiger,” she says. Though Raashi makes it explicitly clear that she’s looking for more meaningful roles, she admits that sometimes she may not have a choice.
“It’s difficult right now to get the kind of roles that I want to do. But as an actress, you need to strike a balance between what you want to do and what comes your way. And that’s what I’m trying to do,” the actress points out. Raashi made her debut with Shoojit Sircar’s Madras Cafe as John Abraham’s wife, but has since not featured in any Bollywood films as the actress has been content with doing film down south.
“No Bollywood plans as of now – I’m very comfortable working in Telugu cinema. Obviously as an actor I’m not really bound by anything and I’m open to work in different films in different languages, but at the moment I’m happy with Telugu cinema,” she adds. After Bengal Tiger, Raashi will also be acting in an upcoming Sai Dharam Tej-starrer titled Supreme.
Produced by Ravi Kishore, Shivam releases today.