Raashii Khanna: Telusu Kada doesn’t endorse poisonous relationships

“Modern relationships are sophisticated. I’d say love is sort of a bleeding rose moderately than a mattress of roses. And cinema is altering with the instances in portraying complicated characters and uncomfortable truths,” says Raashii Khanna, as we talk about her new Telugu movie, Telusu Kada. Releasing on October 17, the movie — written and directed by Neerraja Kona — stars Raashii alongside Siddhu Jonnalagadda and Srinidhi Shetty. The trailer, which highlights the alpha male traits of Siddhu’s character, has already sparked conversations. Raashii agrees that the movie is sure to do the identical: “You could or could not just like the movie, however it is going to positively begin discussions.”

Raashii was approached for the movie in 2023. After listening to Neerraja’s narration, she realised it was a transparent departure from the light-hearted romances she had performed earlier — Oohalu Gusagusalade and Tholi Prema. “Earlier, the tales had been a few couple drifting aside attributable to ego clashes after which reconciling,” she says, including that Telusu Kada feels much more new-age in its remedy.

Though the trailer amplifies the alpha male elements of Siddhu’s character, Raashii clarifies that the movie doesn’t endorse toxicity in relationships. “We had a number of discussions. I used to be triggered by just a few scenes and would usually ask why my character or Srinidhi’s reacted in a sure manner. I consider it’s necessary to be conscious and never harm the opposite individual in a relationship as a lot as doable. Siddhu’s character is brutally trustworthy, with no filters, which makes his phrases tough to digest. I saved reiterating that there needed to be some type of redemption in the direction of the tip.”

Raashii shares that she prompt Srinidhi Shetty for the opposite feminine lead. “That function wanted an actor who may convey a way of innocence, and I believed she’d be good for it.”

As for the romance in Telusu Kada, Raashii says it’s fairly not like her earlier movie World Famous Lover. “That movie started with the loss of life of a relationship and my character strolling away. This one is lots more durable.”

Reality test

Raashii grew up watching the mushy romances of Hindi cinema within the Nineteen Nineties and 2000s, however she admits that actuality turned out in another way. “While I like watching these romances, the kid in me felt cheated when actuality struck,” she says with amusing.

Her real-life experiences, nevertheless, assist her ship emotionally grounded performances, even when her characters are far faraway from who she is in actual life. “The fantastic thing about performing lies in taking part in characters which can be not like your self. The solely trait Anjali and I share is self-respect. The movie additionally poses the query — how far would she go in a relationship whereas forgoing that self-respect? There had been moments when the movie emotionally drained me; I broke down. I can get fairly judgmental of my characters. Neerraja and Siddhu had been my guiding forces, reminding me to not convey my very own ethical compass into this character.”

On set, debates had been frequent about who among the many three characters was in the best, and Raashii remembers how totally different crew members took totally different sides. “It’s an emotionally stirring movie,” she says.

Raashii shares that whereas she learns her dialogues, she prefers to not rehearse, relying as an alternative on intuition as soon as the digicam rolls. “That makes the portrayal really feel extra pure,” she explains.

Since her debut in 2013, Raashii has primarily labored in Telugu movies however has additionally ventured into Hindi, Tamil, and sometimes Malayalam cinema. “I don’t select my work primarily based on language. While I get pleasure from mainstream cinema, I’m actually grateful once I get alternatives that give me extra scope to behave.”

The quest for stability

The Hindi net sequence Farzi was a step in that route. “There was a time when the roles I used to be provided boxed me into taking part in pretty-looking characters. Most industrial movies don’t offer you a lot scope to carry out. Farzi made individuals take me severely as an actor. The focus wasn’t on my hair or make-up. I’d like to do extra content-driven roles.”

That stated, Raashii admits she chooses totally different tasks for various causes, and that mainstream cinema nonetheless performs an necessary function in sustaining visibility. She is a part of the Pawan Kalyan-starrer Ustaad Bhagath Singh, amongst different upcoming movies. “I attempt to stability between totally different sorts of tasks. I simply don’t need to be typecast,” she says.

Raashii additionally has a wishlist. “I’d like to be forged as a princess or a queen in a mythological drama. I’d additionally wish to play a personality with gray shades, and do a female-led movie in Telugu or Tamil.”

Amidst the fixed journey and promotional whirlwind, it’s studying that retains her grounded. “I lately learn The Book of Women by Osho. Books like these calm me down and produce me a way of peace.”