00:00Basically, when I met the director the first time, he said the same thing in his last success
00:09meet speech that when he met Pragya for the first time, she was very 50-50 about the character.
00:16And then when we did the look test, which was obviously, we have a portion in the film
00:22when I am pregnant, so when I found out that she is pregnant in some part and there are
00:26such intense scenes, so I got even more scared.
00:29But eventually, I felt that as an actor, it's a great role, very challenging and different
00:34role for me to perform on screen and I just was greedy and I was like, you know, I want
00:39to be a part of this film, try something new and I am so happy I took up the challenge.
00:44I feel in our film, the action and high-octane type of scenes are very much because of story.
00:59You know, where there is a need, it is only there.
01:02So I feel like there is a very beautiful story of some villagers going through some problem,
01:09there are some lovely family bonds, so there is enough amount of drama and human emotions
01:15which carry the story forward.
01:16And action is where there is a need, it has to be there.
01:20So it's not because I had to keep the action, that's why I kept it.
01:26Action is where there is a need, it is there and where there is no need, it is not there at all.
01:35Not at all.
01:36I feel as an actor, you just want to do different, different kind of roles.
01:40You want to play different characters on screen.
01:42So that is just an actor's wish and want.
01:45So I don't think versatility is some kind of pressure on an actor.
01:50We have this greed that we play different, different types of characters.
01:54So it wasn't pressure, it was just my want that I play different characters because
01:59what fun is there in monotony if you are playing the same role in every film.
02:02So I am glad my directors can see me in a different light and within one year, within
02:07six months, I played such a different character like Naina in Khel Khel.
02:14And then something so different and raw, rustic, fierce like Kaveri.
02:20So when I see my photos of both the films, I am also shocked that wow, Raghya, not bad.
02:25So I have done this just to fulfil my dream.
02:31Not to prove a point or to you know.
02:38Firstly, congratulations, heartiest and huge congratulations to Balakrishna sir for the
02:44most deserving Padma Bhushan that he has just received.
02:49And working with Balakrishna sir is just pure joy.
02:53He is just such a lovely person.
02:55He comes on set with such positivity and you know, he keeps the environment super light
03:00and comfortable for all the actors to feel comfortable and just perform their best.
03:05So I'm just truly lucky that I got to work with him twice.
03:09And obviously, like I just told you, he's a wonderful person to work with.
03:13He's also a thorough professional.
03:16He's so terrific when he comes in front of the camera.
03:19I've seen him in Akhanda and he became that, you know, he has double role in Akhanda.
03:25So both the roles he played so amazingly well.
03:30And now when I see him as, again, he has kind of a double role, he has two completely
03:34different looks in this film as well.
03:37He completely transforms and becomes a dacoit when he's in that get up and he becomes an
03:41engineer when he's in that avatar.
03:44So yeah, just so much to learn from him.
03:51Yes, there are a lot of really cool action sequences in Dacoit Maharaj and I'm just so
03:57lucky that I also got to do one action sequence, which is which is actually so beautiful because,
04:03you know, usually we see in films that if a woman is pregnant, then, you know, she is
04:07taken care of, protected and all of that, which is how it should be ideally.
04:12But you know, there can be times where a woman needs to fight for herself or for her people.
04:18And I feel like the scene that Kaveri has in Dacoit Maharaj is a scene where they show
04:25that initially she's hesitant to kind of, you know, be in that environment.
04:30She's in a very tough environment when she gets pregnant.
04:34And then the husband says that, you know, this cause that we are here for, the cause
04:38that we are fighting for is bigger than us.
04:41So you have to kind of not be selfish and, you know, think bigger, think for everybody
04:47else, you know, that's more important.
04:50And how then Kaveri, once she realizes that, you know, this is what she's here for, she
04:56sacrifices her personal needs and she's there to protect the village and the people and
05:01she fights for the goons and all of that.
05:03So I feel that's just so beautiful because, you know, she has to take care of herself
05:07and the child and yet fight the people.
05:11And I luckily she could fight well and she saves the people.
05:14So I feel that was a really powerful scene that I managed to get.
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