In a league of her own
Sandalwood star Ragini Dwivedi gets candid about her multi-lingual films and the many controversies in her life
By : shashiprasad sm
Update: 2015-08-04 23:42 GMT
It has been a good six years since she made her debut in 2009 with Veera Madakari alongside Kiccha Sudeep. Through the ups and downs, Ragini Dwivedi, who has carved a niche for herself as an actor, is riding solo now — a rare phenomenon in the industry wherein the films are solely made based on the market and popularity of an actress. After the commercial success of Ragini IPS, she is all set to return with Veera Ranachandi and Amma.
The actress who has had seven projects down south, most of which are multi-lingual, speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle about her films, frequent controversies, political ambitions and her love for painting, travelling and her six pet dogs.
Her name was drawn into controversies surrounding the film Nati Koli after someone claiming to be personally associated with the actress reportedly created ruckus during the photo shoot of the movie. Even as this episode died down, another disturbing episode surfaced after an assistant director allegedly committed suicide and the actresses’ name was yet again dragged into it as she had complained against the assistant director in 2013 to the KFCC following spam calls and vulgar text messages. “I am working hard on my films. With the golden opportunity to work solo, I am putting a lot of effort into entertaining my fans, and ultimately to give them a good movie. It is really a rare phenomenon, wherein an actress in solo lead has a distinctive market. When such is the case, I often find it very funny when my name is constantly dragged into controversies. It is obvious that they want to use my name for profit and to gain publicity. In such scenarios, I do not succumb to them, as I honestly feel that my name is doing a social service for them,” says Ragini. She further adds that a person commits a crime thinking that he would never be caught. “Most actresses choose to ignore matters in such circumstances. I believe in taking a firm stand. Though I personally feel sorry for the death of a person, I cannot be held for his act committed under depression.”
Ragini who has grown as an actress with every film says that she is concentrating on doing films with a social message. “In my previous film Ragini IPS, we talked about the social evil —rape and the need for the harshest punishment. In Amma, it is about abuse against minor children. My fans will get to see a different me in Veera Ranachandi, a high octane action thriller. We are now shooting it in three languages and dubbing it in two others. I am happy that my films have pan India presence,” she says.
The hot and sizzling actor has also been getting offers to join politics following her huge popularity. She recently interviewed chief minister Siddaramaiah for a private television as he completed two years as CM. “I have been getting offers from ‘national’ political parties to join. However, I am right now focusing on doing good films. I am not hurrying into anything. I will have at least two films releasing in a year. Though shooting round the clock, I have learnt that quality films matter even if they do not succeed at the box office. I do not rule out the possibilities of entering politics in the future, as it is a great chance to serve the public,” she says.
While she loves to travel alone and stay aloof from the industry, it’s her six pets which keep her de-stressed. “I also love pot-painting whenever I get time,” says Ragini before she signs off.