Rashii Khanna said I felt like I was a newcomer on set 

Rashii noted, was extremely happy that I got to play something so eccentric: Rudra 

Ajay sir was highly supportive, and I never thought that I was working with a star: Rudra 

First, you would love to hate my character, but you’ll end up loving her: Rudra

Recently Indian south actress Rashii Khanna came on PINKVILLA, where she interviewed host Himesh Mankad and talked about her upcoming web show Rudra. She said that I would not even imagine Ajay sir doing something like this on OTT, but I think things have suddenly taken a short turn of events.

The fact that Ajay sir was doing it in the first place was exciting enough for me to be interested in doing it. It is a great show that we have finally managed to bring together for the audience, and yeah, I mean, I am pretty excited and also a little bit nervous to see how the audience reacts to it.  

The first time I knew that Ajay sir was Rudra, they were looking for somebody to play the character that I was playing. My name is Aaliya Choksi in the series and Alice Morgan in the original. I had not seen Luther, and I decided not to watch it because I didn’t want to be influenced by the character.

I auditioned for the role not a lot of people know this. So they were like, okay, she is from the south, she’s doing great films there, but we need an actor here. So, we have to audition like they auditioned many other people also. 

 I auditioned for it very happy because it excited me. After all, I got this brief, and I was like, let me do it in my way. I gave the audition, I forgot about it.

Then one day, they came back, saying, we like it, and we would be grateful if you could come on board, and that is how exactly that happened.

Then I was given a whole vast narration of the entire thing, and I think it was terrifying because, with this character, you can go either wholly right or completely wrong; there’s no in-between. I had to do justice to that, but the actor in me was delighted that I got to play something so eccentric. 

I think it borders on grey. See, there is no moral stance you can take with these characters because you’ll feel for everyone, so you don’t know who you are cheering for you, and with my personality, you would love to hate my character, but you will end up loving it. So that I think is pretty exciting. 

When my director told me that whole story and everything, he was like, you don’t need an icebreaker. Come on set, and there is Ajay, sir; he will break it for you. He will break the ice.

I was very nervous as I came the first day because he is magnanimous and the way he walks and the way he talks, his personality is fantastic he is the star, and I felt like I am a newcomer on set. I was so nervous that I asked myself if I should talk to him? What should I do? But my director was highly supportive. 

So, the first day he introduced me, Ajay sir and Ajay sir met me very casually like, How are you Raashii? Come, we do the lines, and I was amazed.

I felt that he was so down to earth, he was so lovely, and I think that’s where the ice broke, and we shot a critical sequence that day. He was highly supportive, and I never felt that you worked with a star. I thought I was working with an actor who’s aa involved and will get you as interested in that as he is, which is fabulous 

Edited by: Mahi Gupta

Published by: Vishakha Verma