Shraddha Srinath: Aiming high in Kollywood

Little did Shraddha Srinath know that her brief role in Mani Ratnam’s Kaatru Veliyidai would earn her appreciation from the director she adores. It was maverick Bollywood director and actor Anurag Kashyap, who lauded Shraddha for her performance. “It was surprising! He (Anurag Kashyap) had already watched my Kannada film, U Turn, and his words mean a lot to me,” she starts the conversation.

As she gears up for her next Tamil film, Shraddha seems to be in great spirits. “The teaser of my next release, Richie, has been received well, all thanks to Nivin Pauly’s popularity. It is a prestigious project and I play a crime-reporter who hails from Manapad. I would say the film and its makers chose me and within a few initial meetings, I knew that I was working with a sensible director, Gautham Ramachandran,” she adds.

Playing a journalist on screen is not new to the actress. “I played a reporter in U Turn as well, so I made up my mind that my character in Richie should be in stark contrast. Since Richie is a remake of the Kannada film Ulidavaru Kandanthe, I stayed away from watching the original, as it might influence my acting. It was hard to resist, but my idea was to keep it as original as possible.”
Shraddha also tried her hand at dubbing in Tamil for this movie — “I was able to get the lines right, but the native feel was missing. So, we had to go for a dubbing artist.”

The actress is excited for her next film, Vikram Vedha, where she essays Madhavan’s pair. “I play a lawyer in the movie. Talkie portions have been completed and I have a montage song left to be shot. Directors Pushkar and Gayathri have brought out the best in me and the entire team helped me with the language and performance,” she quips. With Ivan Thanthiran ready for release, Shraddha will soon foray into Telugu industry as well.