Hard work always pays off

Delhi girl Raashi Khanna never knew that she would be part of the glamour industry till she took up modeling as a hobby while in college. Keener on advertising as a career option, the girl’s chance entry into films brought her to Tollywood where she will soon make her debut with ‘Oohalu Gusagusalade’.

“I was a geek! Never watched movies and wanted to make my career in advertising. But that didn’t work out and here I am, an actress,” says the 23-year-old girl. Her stint with films started when she was selected for a role in the film ‘Madras Café’, where she shared screen space with John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri. “It was a wonderful experience. The team never let me feel like I was a newcomer,” she says.

When quizzed as to how working in a Telugu film was, Raashi says that she “had doubts” in the beginning. “I didn’t know the language. It wasn’t easy. I used to rehearse every scene a couple of times. And now I can understand Telugu well and am also managing conversing in it a bit,” she explains. Raashi adds that she isn’t intimidated by the competition she has in the industry. “I am a very secure person. I have no fear because I know hard work always pays off,” she quips. ‘Oohalu Gusagusalade’ has helped her grow as an actor she says as she adds appreciating Srinivas Avasarala for being a “great director”. What about co-star Naga Shourya? “He’s a fabulous and hard working guy. He is focused in his work and it was a great experience working with him.”

“ ‘Oohalu…’ was a difficult film because the role I play – Sri Sai Sirisha Prabhavathi – is totally different from me. She is stubborn, and lacks emotions and is scared to fall in love,” she says about her character in the movie. Meanwhile the actress will soon be seen in a cameo in the Akkineni film, ‘Manam’. When asked what her role she says, “I play Naga Chaitanya’s love interest in the film. I can’t reveal much about it.”