‘The audience isn’t game for cliched masala entertainers’

On the day of Tughlaq Durbar’s release, actress Raashii Khanna talks to DT Next about her role of Kamatchi from the film and explains how the audience’s way of looking at a film has changed post-pandemic

KAUSHIK RAJARAMAN

Tughlaq Durbar had its world premiered on a television channel on Friday. Actress Raashi Khanna plays the female lead in the film which has Vijay Sethupathi in the lead role. “It has been over one and a half years since I had a release and I was excited about Tughlaq Durbar’s television premiere,” she begins. The actress plays the role of Kamatchi in the political drama. She says that a lot has gone into designing her character to avoid being typecast.

“I play Marathi girl who speaks broken Tamil. Also, I will be seen in a look that I haven’t sported in my previous films. Director Delhi Prasad Dheenadayal and I sat and discussed the value that my character could bring in as she takes the story forward. I am glad that people liked my look from the promotional pictures and videos that came out before the premiere.”

Apart from the freshness in the character, Raashii says that Vijay Sethupathi is another reason for her to sign the film. “He is an amazing co-star. The way he works with his co-actors to enhance the scene is brilliant. He believes in giving everyone an equal space,” she adds.

Raashi who has almost a dozen of films in hand including Dhanush’s Thiruchitrambalam and a web series with Shahid Kapoor says that her approach is pretty much the same as it was before the pandemic. “My way of listening to scripts has more or less been the same. But I have clearly understood that the audience isn’t game cliched content anymore. Their way of watching a narrative has changed since they are exposed to a lot of well-made international films. They wouldn’t sit through a normal masala entertainer anymore. As an artiste, I would look forward to working on content that intrigues them,” she tells us. The actress also has made the best of the OTT platform as she is working with Shahid Kapoor currently on a web series. “I have another series with Ajay Devgn too. Both these are big in their own ways. The series with Ajay Devgn is a role that no one has seen me in since my debut. Moreover, the digital medium is the safest bet with theatres not opening in full swing. Also, there are lots of pan-Indian films being made, which I believe is a healthy trend in Indian cinema,” she concludes.

My way of listening to scripts has more or less been the same. But I have clearly understood that the audience isn’t game cliched content anymore Raashii Khanna