I don’t think Anurag Kashyap knows who he is, says 'Imaikkaa Nodigal' actress Raashi Khanna

It’s not often that an actor gets flooded with projects even before the release of her first film. Raashi Khanna, who is making her Tamil debut with the upcoming Imaikkaa Nodigal by Ajay Gnanamuthu of Demonte Colony-fame, has already signed up for films with actors like Jayam Ravi, Vishal and Siddharth.

“For Imaikkaa Nodigal, the makers approached me after watching my Telugu film, Oohalu Gusagusalade,” says Raashi, who will be paired with Atharvaa in the film. “It’s a beautiful love story and they thought I’d fit in perfectly for the role. In fact, almost every character in the film is strong.” The film also stars Nayanthara and Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap in important roles. “I was mainly attracted to the film by its story, my character and then, finally, of course, the cast.”

She isn’t perturbed that her debut film is a multi-starrer. “Gone are the times when you needed to worry about such things. Audiences are open to multi-starrers today. If the script is good, you have nothing to worry about,” she says. “Nayanthara is a female superstar, and to act with her in a Tamil film is a great opportunity.” Language wasn’t really a hurdle either. “As a Hindi-speaking person, to step into Telugu cinema was pretty scary. But the transition from Telugu to Tamil is much more easier, as I find the languages to be fairly similar,” says Raashi who hopes to get the hang of Tamil soon. 

The topic veers to her co-stars, and Raashi is quick to talk about Anurag Kashyap. She thinks he’s “the most chilled-out person” she has ever met. “He’s down-to-earth. I don’t think he is aware of who he is,” she says, with a laugh. “It was great working with him, and as a helpful senior, he shared with me quite a bit of his vast knowledge of films.” 

Raashi, however, has no scenes in which she shares screenspace with Nayanthara; there’s plenty of scenes with Atharvaa though. “He is hardworking and earnest. He puts his heart and soul into the job,” adds Raashi, who apparently often turned to Atharvaa for help with her lines. “He’d motivate me, and I’d get the lines right.”The heroine has already signed quite a few projects, including Siddharth’s Shaitan Ka Bachcha, Jayam Ravi’s Adanga Maru and Vishal’s Tamil remake of Temper.

“Shaitan Ka Bachcha will get released by the end of this year; save for the songs, everything else has been shot. Jayam Ravi’s film is half done, and we’re yet to begin work on the Vishal-starrer.”

She’s also started shooting for a Telugu film titled Srinivasa Kalyanam. 

“Another 40 days of shooting are left on this film that should get released by August,” says Raashi. “I can’t wait for all these films to get released. On account of the strikes, I think there may be a good chance that my films could all get released one after another. I imagine that’s a good thing.” 

Raashi thinks that South cinema is in a great phase right now. “Telugu industry is beginning to experiment with new scripts. New, promising directors are coming in. Tamil cinema has always been encouraging of experimental cinema, and stronger female characters,” says the actor. It’s a trend she thinks is catching on in Telugu cinema.

“My latest film there —Tholi Prema—proved that,” says Raashi, who teases us with information that she’s just signed a biggie in Tamil cinema. “But I can’t talk about it yet.”