People in the North see me as a South actress

Raashii Khanna has had an interesting career trajectory. She has been steadily ramping up her filmography with projects featuring some of the biggest directors and co-stars. While appearing in television series like Shahid Kapoor-starrer Farzi and Ajay Devgn’s Rudra, she is also part of happening projects like Yodha, starring Sidharth Malhotra. She has four projects lined up in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil this year.

Is this her purple patch, we ask? She smiles saying, “Nothing is planned; everything happened.”

Directed by Sagar Ambre Pushkar Ojha, Yodha (Warrior) is an action thriller about a hijack from a terrorist camp. “But there are more layers to the story than what meet the eye,” she comments, adding that while Sidharth is a Yodha on air, she is the Yodha on ground.

Raashi plays an IAS officer — Assistant Secretary, PMO — She is responsible for negotiations between the government and extremists. “Generally, senior IAS officers take on the onus of negotiations. It’s a very responsible role, where the safety of people is top priority. I worked a lot on communications. I spoke to several officers on their modus operandi, body language, how not to trip others up during the talks, etc.,” she said.

Raashii expressed respect for people who handle real emergency situations.

“One small mistake can cost lives,” she notes, adding that she realised that communication can make a lot of difference in life. The Prati Roju Pandage star, who had herself aspired to become an IAS officer, is glad that she donned the role in reel life. She plays a Telugu girl in the film and even wrote a few dialogues.

“People in the North consider me a South actress because of the success and my body of work I have got here,” she smiles. “I think this recognition is all because of the love of the Telugu audience who made me what I am today. I am grateful for the opportunities. But I told the filmmakers I am from Delhi and can speak Hindi.”

In her decade-long journey which started in Bollywood and expanded into the Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam industries, Raashii has caught the eye of many talent hunters. She says she took decisions on her own and learnt from the mistakes. “I have no regrets either,” she shares. “There’s so much to do because I am getting roles that I wanted to do earlier.”

The actress loves working in different industries. Since each is rooted in its own culture, getting the costumes, language and behaviour right from a cultural perspective has made all industries feel she belongs to them.

Though Raashii was recognised for her acting prowess in all her films, Farzi in particular made a big impact. “My talent got more respect,” she says.

She has done close to 40 films and Raashii has been constantly working on herself — not just on her looks, but also on her craft. “I have also learnt to say ‘No’,” she shares. “I remember, John Abraham (her co-star in Madras Cafe) told me to learn to say No if I don’t like something. And that stuck in my mind,” she says.

The actress claims that life in cinema has changed her a lot. “I am not the same person that I was two years back. I play different characters, and in the process, I have stopped judging people. I’ve also started introspecting — an indication that I have evolved,” she signs off.

I have also learnt to say ‘No'. I remember, John Abraham (her co-star in Madras Cafe) told me to learn to say No if I don’t like something. that stuck in my mind — Raashi Khanna