‘My father’s name has brought me luck’

Aishwarya Rajesh, one of the most ‘in-demand’ actresses in Tamil, has always been wanting to do films in Telugu, her mother-tongue. The daughter of yesteryear actor Rajesh, she was however unsure of how to get a foothold in the industry till December 2018 director Kranthi Madhav approached her for a role in World Famous Lover. She says she agreed to do the role because it was more realistic than most commercial Telugu films, and as such, she thought it would suit her, since she has been playing realistic roles in Tamil cinema.

The fact that Vijay Deverakonda was the lead actor was another incentive, admits Aishwarya. “The name itself is catchy and I have seen that actresses are given importance in his films. So that’s why I accepted”, she explained. Her Telugu debut film is totally different from other movies, she stresses. “I play Suvarna and my character is very strong and emotional. Vijay too looks different in his role as Seenayya in this film,” the actress adds.

Expressing happiness at being able to do a film in her mother-tongue, Aishwarya says she was studying in Standard 3 when she lost her father. When she entered films, there were already many Aishwaryas in cinema, and she wanted to change her name. However, her mother didn’t want her to do that, saying her father had liked the name. So she decided to add her father’s name to hers, says the actress. She now feels that it has brought her luck, because her first big break came after she did that, and she continues to do well.