With Rajinikanth‘s Dharman and a diverse line-up of projects in her kitty, Raashii Khanna says she’s embracing the most exciting phase of her career. She talks to us about working with Rajinikanth, her evolving choices, learning to tune out the noise and more...‘MY CHARACTER SITS AT THE EMOTIONAL CORE OF DHARMAN’ After watching Dragon, I had messaged Ashwath (Marimuthu) to tell him how much I loved the film. He replied saying he’d love to collaborate with me someday. Not too long af- ter that, he texted me again, saying, “The time has come.’ He narrated Dharman, and I instantly loved it. It had so much heart. And the opportunity to share screen space with Rajini- kanth sir made it an easy ‘yes’. My character in the film sits at the emotional core of the story and plays a key role in shap- ing Dharman as a person.‘Rajini sir and I had a lot of conversations around spirituality’It wasn’t just Rajini sir’s screen presence that struck me; it was also his humility and curiosity. There was something he said that really stayed with me… he mentioned that actors are prisoners. I understood what he meant. The price of fame is a certain loss of freedom. It made me reflect on how fame comes with boundaries and how important it is to find your own sense of freedom. We had a lot of conversations around spirituality, inner growth, stillness, and understanding oneself. When he gifted the book Living With The Himalayan Masters to me, it felt incredibly thoughtful.
I’ve never approached a film thinking I can take this easy. Whether it’s a big film or a small story, I feel the same responsibility.
Raashii Khanna
‘I’D RATHER DO FEWER FILMS THAT I GENUINELY BELIEVE IN THAN SAY YES TO EVERYTHING’Early in my career, I want- ed to explore as much as I could. But after a point, you carry a responsibility towards your audience. I’d rather do fewer films that I genuinely believe in than say yes to everything. Au- diences today are very per- ceptive. They want every character to have a pur. pose in the story.‘I WANT PEOPLE TO REMEMBER ME FOR THE WORK I DO’Social media allows me to connect with people who support me. At the same time, I’ve realised that not everything needs to be shared. I want people to re- member me for the work I do rather than how much of my personal life they know.Raashii’s upcoming projects…I’m doing a film with Akshay Kumar directed by Anees Bazmee. It’s a full-on commercial entertainer. I’ve also started shooting for Farzi 2. Then, there is Talaakhon Mein Ek with Vikrant Massey, and Bridge with Madhavan sir, which is in the psychological thriller space.‘DIRECTION IS A DEMANDING JOB, BUT NEVER SAY NEVER’ I see myself producing at some point. I’d love to sup- port films and storytellers and help bring meaningful stories to life. Direction is one of the most demand- ing jobs on a set. I don’t know if I’m ready to say I’ll do that. But never say never. Right now, my heart is fully invested in acting.
