- 11 months ago
Kantara actor Rukmini Vasanth opened up on film success, representation of women, and working with Yash and Rishab Shetty.
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00:00Good afternoon, everyone.
00:01Thank you very much for joining us here at the India Today Conclave.
00:05It's my pleasure to welcome you on stage.
00:08And please, if all of you could give a big round of applause for Rukmini Vasanth.
00:21Thank you so much, everyone.
00:25So first of all, Rukmini, welcome to the India Today Conclave.
00:28Thank you so much.
00:29I'm very excited to be here today.
00:31It's a pleasure to have you, especially because of the kind of work that you're doing right now.
00:36You know, I've seen your films, absolutely loved them.
00:39But you must be on cloud nine.
00:40You know, your films have done so well.
00:43You're in Kanthara.
00:45You're coming up in Toxic.
00:47So, I mean, you've got a great track record of films coming up.
00:50I am very, very excited.
00:52There's a lot of amazing work happening.
00:55And I am quite privileged to be a part of some amazing projects.
01:00So, yeah, I am on cloud nine.
01:02And these are all films, projects that, you know, are pan-India projects.
01:06We've seen already this superstardom of Yash.
01:09We've seen already Rishabh Shetty and Kanthara.
01:11What a big success it was.
01:13Are you looking at kind of moving into the direction of being a pan-India star, not limited to one language?
01:19You know, I don't know that that's a decision that can be taken.
01:23It's a hope that can be held very fervently.
01:26But I think perhaps more than the aspiration of being a pan-Indian star or something like that,
01:33there is a deep desire to be involved in quality work that reaches people.
01:39So, language almost becomes immaterial.
01:43It's just the desire to reach as many people as you can.
01:47So, let's take it back to your first massive hit.
01:50And I don't watch, to be honest, a lot of Kannada films.
01:54But this one I had seen a couple of years ago.
01:57Sapta Sagrada Chayelo.
01:58If you've seen it, you know, of course, that it was a beautiful, beautiful movie.
02:02Extremely moving.
02:03I think most people who saw it were moved to tears.
02:05And your acting was absolutely amazing in that.
02:08Did you expect that kind of response?
02:10Because, you know, you started off and you started off with a bang.
02:14You know, I, again, I don't know that you can expect these kinds of things.
02:21I knew that with the kind of team that was coming together,
02:24whether it was our director, Hemant Mbrao,
02:26or our producer and our hero, Rakshat Chetty,
02:29or the music director, Charan Raj,
02:30this incredible force of wonderful creatives coming together
02:34with a story that was very emotional and intense.
02:38I knew that there was some magic there
02:40and I knew that I was very lucky to be piggybacking on it.
02:43But, again, you can't really expect these things.
02:47You just sort of hope, work as hard as you can,
02:50and then let the chips fall where they may.
02:51You know, there's so much of footage,
02:54I will put that out as well,
02:55of how people reacted when the film was released in theatres.
02:59I remember also there was footage of you in one of those premieres
03:03where everyone was so emotional.
03:05There it is right there,
03:06where you were with some of the biggest superstars of Kannada cinema as well.
03:10Do you remember this moment?
03:11I'm sure it was surreal for you.
03:13Crystal clear.
03:14It was a very formative moment to be in a hall like that
03:18and to see people...
03:21Look, cinema is essentially make-believe, right?
03:23But to see people engaging with fiction
03:25with so much openness and so much heart,
03:29it really moves you as an artist.
03:32So that was one of the first moments that I was able to feel that
03:35and I think, you know, it's a feeling that I will constantly attempt to replicate.
03:41But I think it's also reciprocative, right?
03:44Like, you opened up your heart in that performance.
03:46What really stood out about the film and your performance
03:49was how raw it was, how simple it was.
03:52It was kind of rooted to what you'd see in everyday life,
03:55which sometimes films don't tend to be.
03:57They over-glamorize.
03:58They kind of overdo the emotion.
04:01This was subtle.
04:02It wasn't over-glamorized.
04:04Were those aspects that worried you?
04:05Because very often there are lead actors
04:09who are scared to be kind of boxed in that image.
04:13See, I think it also has to do, Akshata,
04:14with the time that I was in my career.
04:17I didn't have much work at that point
04:20and I knew that what I really wanted
04:22was something meaty to sort of sink my teeth into.
04:26I knew what I wanted,
04:30what I hoped to play around with
04:33in terms of intense and deep, complex emotions.
04:37So that was something that I was really keen on
04:40and that was also something that our director
04:41was very upfront about.
04:42He said, if you're looking for a glam heroine-type film,
04:45this is not the one.
04:46So he was very upfront about it,
04:48even before my audition,
04:49before he knew if I was capable of doing this role or not.
04:52He was very, very upfront.
04:53And he said, listen,
04:54this is not your classic heroine-type film.
04:57This is an actress-type film.
04:59So think about that.
05:00Think about whether you're okay with that.
05:02And I was.
05:04So sometimes you get lucky with roles
05:09that are really beautifully written
05:10and have a great deal of depth in them.
05:12And it was very heartening to see
05:14that the audience responses when the films came out
05:18were not about whether I have lines on my face
05:21or whether I had dark circles or any of that.
05:24It was more to do with the content of the film
05:28or the emotions that I was attempting to put across
05:31that hopefully reached them.
05:33It was really heartening to see people engaging with all of that
05:36rather than the superficiality of, say, how my skin looked.
05:39And, you know, when you see that particular film,
05:42it's almost as if you're a veteran yourself.
05:45How did you...
05:46Come on.
05:48Your performance was amazing
05:49and I can't stop praising it because I loved the movie.
05:51And I think a large part of me loving that movie was because of you.
05:55And, you know, how you made that character come alive,
05:58how you made so many of us relate to what she was going through
06:01and the ocean of emotions that she was going through,
06:03whether it was part A or B.
06:05But you always wanted to be an actor in that sense, right?
06:08It wasn't something that you stumbled into.
06:10No, it wasn't.
06:11It was a very intentional...
06:13You had great clarity.
06:14...almost frantic...
06:15Yeah, I was running headfirst into anything
06:17that would bring me toward performing, yeah.
06:20So you studied acting.
06:22And then how did this film happen?
06:24So I did.
06:25I studied at a school in the UK
06:26called the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
06:28I did a foundation course in acting there,
06:31which changed my life.
06:33It taught me pretty much everything that I knew
06:36when I first started in film.
06:39Every film is a laboratory of sorts.
06:41You learn a completely new, different kind of skill
06:43on every single set,
06:45whether it's a masala commercial film
06:46or whether it's a deep, intense sort of film.
06:50You pick up a whole new set of skills regardless.
06:53But drama school was really where it began for me.
06:55And there's a certain external validation also
06:58that you get after you audition for something
06:59and then a group of unbiased strangers say,
07:02yeah, okay, you have something in you.
07:03So it does give you that first scaffolding
07:07upon which to build the rest of your confidence.
07:10So that was where I got that at drama school.
07:13This role with Saptasagrata Achriyelo,
07:15which was actually my second film,
07:17that came about because I sent an out-of-the-blue DM
07:21to the director when I found out
07:23that they were casting for this film.
07:25And I said, you know, I'm a trained actor.
07:28I would love to audition for your film.
07:29If there's any possibility, please do let me know.
07:32And I would jump at it.
07:34And it did happen, yeah.
07:35I mean, I have to give full credit to the director
07:38for entertaining, you know, a random DM.
07:43But, yeah, Hemant took that chance on me
07:45and then the audition happened and it worked.
07:47Amazing.
07:48Amazing.
07:49But I think one of this film,
07:52Saptasagrata Achyelo,
07:53is a standout really for Kannada cinema
07:56because of what it's also done for Sandalwood.
07:59There's a huge debate.
08:01And very often, you know,
08:03you pit all the woods against each other,
08:05whether it's Bollywood, Collywood, Tollywood.
08:08There's a constant criticism that comes Sandalwood's way
08:11that, look, Collywood is known,
08:14so is Tollywood,
08:15for these massive, super-head-span-India-massive films.
08:18Mollywood is known for its stories,
08:20its structure, the beautiful storytelling.
08:22And somehow Sandalwood is hidden in all that,
08:25that they don't really live up to the other woods
08:27or the film industries from the south.
08:29What do you think?
08:30I mean, I come from Sandalwood,
08:32so obviously...
08:33Do you have a bias?
08:34I do.
08:35I have to be honest.
08:36I do have a bias.
08:37I do think that there's incredible work
08:39that's happening there,
08:40that's been happening,
08:41and that perhaps it's a matter of perspective
08:44and the fact that now attention is going there.
08:47When you have massive films like KGF and Kantara
08:50that command a certain kind of attention,
08:52then there also does go a great deal of attention
08:55to this kind of stuff that's happening
08:56at a grassroots level.
08:57So a Kannada film,
09:01Sunflowers Were the First to Know,
09:02was also in the Oscars race.
09:04And if I'm not mistaken, it did win.
09:06So that is, you know,
09:07there is stuff happening on a grassroots indie level as well.
09:10There's stuff happening on a massive Kantara KGF toxic level.
09:16So I think it's unfair to sort of...
09:19You can't really work in generalities.
09:21And I'm...
09:22For one, I am very, very excited
09:25that there is a spotlight on the Kannada industry now.
09:27And I think it's an amazing time
09:29to be an actor there
09:31and to be an actor from there.
09:33Very well put.
09:34But the films that you listed,
09:36you know, whether it's KGF or Kantara,
09:38Yash, Rishabh Shetty,
09:39you're working with them all now.
09:41What's that like?
09:42I think everyone wants to know
09:43how different is it to work with a Rishabh Shetty
09:46and how different is it with a Yash?
09:47Are they completely different in their approaches?
09:51They're all very, very passionate artists
09:53and very, very creative, wonderful human beings.
09:59It's such a joy,
10:01especially at such a nascent stage in my career,
10:04to be privileged,
10:05to run in these circles,
10:07to watch these incredible creatives,
10:10these amazing professionals
10:11do what they do best.
10:13I feel as if...
10:14I'm just a sponge.
10:17I'm taking in so much
10:18as I interact with these people
10:20and their approach to their work.
10:22Obviously, artists are very different.
10:26All sorts of artists
10:27are very different from each other,
10:28but I think that
10:29the sheer passion and commitment
10:32with which they approach their work
10:34is awe-inspiring.
10:36Okay, if I can, then.
10:37What's your biggest learning from Yash?
10:41Oh, wow.
10:43That's going to be so hard.
10:47It is an all-encompassing vision
10:50of what this film...
10:57It's more than a film sometimes.
10:58It's like a movement
10:59of what this cultural zeitgeist could be.
11:06And to have such an all-encompassing vision
11:08is quite something.
11:11And Rishabh Shetty?
11:14The thing I think I've taken from Rishabh
11:15the most is how...
11:17Again, he's got an incredibly grand vision now
11:20just recently from Kantara.
11:22They released, I think,
11:24a 15-minute video
11:25from the making of the film.
11:27And you can see the degree to which
11:29the world of Kantara has expanded,
11:31the kind of enormous scale
11:34that has been created for this world.
11:37But it's also very, very rooted.
11:39It's very, very present
11:40in the cultural milieu
11:42that made the first film so successful.
11:45So the idea that you can have
11:47such monumental vision
11:49and still have it hold on
11:51to the essence and the heart
11:52of what worked,
11:54it's brilliant.
11:56Amazing.
11:56We're very excited for you.
11:58Thank you so much.
11:59And looking forward to Kantara and Toxic.
12:01Away from acting,
12:03what I found very, very interesting,
12:05Rukmini,
12:05is also the family that you come from.
12:07Her father, Colonel Venugopal,
12:10was actually killed in action
12:12in the 2007 Uri attack
12:14where his team was essentially
12:18confronting terrorists.
12:19He was wounded,
12:20continued to lead his three team
12:22to corner those terrorists.
12:23So thank you
12:24for what your family has done
12:27for this country.
12:29I'm sure you've learned a lot
12:30from your father too
12:31in this journey.
12:33Oh, yeah, yeah.
12:33I have a great deal.
12:34And your mother also,
12:36the fact that she's still
12:38at this point after that,
12:39and you can only imagine
12:40what Rukmini's family
12:42has gone through.
12:43Through that,
12:43her mother now has started
12:45working on helping war widows.
12:47And that's something
12:47you're also very,
12:48very passionate about.
12:50Absolutely.
12:51I mean,
12:51it left a very lasting impact on me
12:54because I was a child
12:56when we lost our father.
12:57and at that point
13:00to see my mother
13:01whose world had been
13:02completely rocked,
13:03completely changed,
13:05take what was such raw pain
13:08and find a way
13:09to channel that
13:10to other people
13:11and to find a way
13:13to spread the immense privilege
13:15that had reached our family,
13:18to find a way
13:19to disperse that amongst others
13:20it may not have reached
13:21was something
13:22that was so moving to me,
13:25but it also kind of instilled
13:27a very strong sense
13:28of philanthropy, I think,
13:33of a way of taking your pain
13:35and making something
13:36almost productive out of it.
13:38Because it takes a great deal,
13:39I think,
13:40to isolate yourself
13:41from your own particular pain
13:43and reach other people
13:45who may be suffering
13:46in the same way
13:46and thus you build
13:47a sense of community.
13:48So one of the most
13:50wonderful things
13:51that this foundation
13:52called Veer Ratna does
13:53is that they organize
13:55these three-day workshops
13:57for the women and children,
14:00the wives and children
14:01of martyrs.
14:02And those workshops
14:04become a sense of community.
14:07So you have three-day workshops
14:10and everyone is together
14:11and you've built a sense
14:12of togetherness between people
14:15and all of us,
14:16you know,
14:17I've attended them,
14:18my sister has attended them
14:19as participants.
14:19We all have one thing in common.
14:22We've lost our fathers in action.
14:24But it grows to be
14:25so much more than that.
14:27It grows to be a community.
14:29So that is something
14:30that I think is fantastic
14:31and it's something
14:33I care very deeply about.
14:35So, you know,
14:36it's beautiful,
14:36as you put it,
14:37to change your own grief
14:39and then help others
14:40also overcome
14:41that kind of grief.
14:41Do you also feel
14:42a sense of responsibility
14:43because of that?
14:45You know,
14:45you're someone
14:45with great influence
14:46as well now
14:47in the platform
14:48that you're in
14:49with millions of followers.
14:51Do you feel
14:51that sense of responsibility?
14:55Certainly.
14:57And, you know,
14:58oftentimes we have to use
14:59that the attention
15:01or the eyes that come on us,
15:04we do channel it
15:04towards our work professionally.
15:06But I do also feel,
15:07obviously,
15:07a lot of responsibility
15:08toward the foundation
15:09and directing attention
15:12to other important causes.
15:14I think that we need
15:17to kind of change
15:18that spotlight around
15:19and spotlight
15:20other different issues as well.
15:22Because one of the issues
15:23and, you know,
15:24very often they talk
15:25of responsible cinema
15:26and for a woman particularly
15:28is how in some films,
15:30I'm not saying all,
15:31in some films,
15:32particularly in today's time,
15:34there are questions
15:35raised of the portrayal of women.
15:37Is that something
15:37you're extremely conscious
15:38of about also?
15:39In what sense?
15:42Conscious of...
15:42Of how women
15:43are portrayed in films.
15:44Very often over-sexualized
15:46in some cases.
15:47In some cases also,
15:49you know,
15:49it's the hero
15:50who acts a certain way
15:51with a woman
15:51and then you kind of
15:53promote Eve teasing,
15:55catcalling.
15:55I'm just giving you
15:56specific examples.
15:57But do you think
15:58that that's something
15:59that you're very conscious
16:00about when you pick
16:01a film as well?
16:02Certainly.
16:03I think that,
16:04look,
16:05one of my,
16:06one of my guiding philosophies
16:09is that you need to
16:09look at a film
16:10in its entirety.
16:12I can't look at it
16:13in isolation
16:13because when you come
16:14to watch a film,
16:15you're not watching it
16:15in isolation.
16:16You are looking at
16:17what the bottom line
16:17of either my character
16:19or the other characters
16:20in the film
16:20promote or encourage.
16:22So I do think
16:23that it is important
16:23to have an overview,
16:26a sense of
16:26what exactly
16:27the film is about.
16:28But I can't say
16:29that I have a moral judgment
16:31that I approach the film in
16:32because I feel like
16:33if you approach
16:34a character
16:35or a film
16:36with too much judgment
16:37then you can't really
16:38do any justice
16:40to what purpose
16:42you're supposed to play
16:43to the film.
16:44So there is a certain
16:46amount of neutrality
16:48that you need to come into
16:49but there are certain,
16:51I think all actors
16:52have certain values
16:53and principles
16:54of their own
16:54that they hope
16:56not to outrage
16:57through their work.
16:58So I fall in
16:59one of those categories.
17:00So you look at
17:00the overall picture
17:01essentially.
17:02which is great
17:03but I think
17:04for women actors also
17:06and because you're
17:07someone who's seen
17:08this massive hit
17:09early on in your career
17:11I am curious to know
17:12is it that much harder
17:14for a woman
17:14to succeed
17:15in a film industry
17:16because it's very often
17:18touted to be
17:19male dominated.
17:20Is that actually
17:20the case?
17:21Did you feel it?
17:22You know,
17:23I can't,
17:24again I can't speak
17:26in generalities
17:26but if I were to speak
17:27with regard to my career
17:29if you take
17:30a set of films
17:31like Saptasagarda Chelo
17:32side A and side B
17:33a lot of side A
17:36was my character.
17:37It was quite
17:38Priya centric
17:39and I think
17:40that speaks to
17:41the strength
17:43of the writing
17:43but also the fact
17:45that audiences
17:45they just want
17:48engaging
17:48beautiful storytelling.
17:50They're not sitting there
17:50and saying
17:51we'd like to know
17:51only the hero's perspective
17:52please,
17:53thank you very much,
17:54can you stop talking?
17:55That's not really
17:56where they're coming from.
17:57They want to be
17:58invested in the story
17:59and I can't say
18:00that they're only
18:02interested in one
18:03side of that.
18:04So I think
18:06that there is
18:08interest in human stories.
18:10I can't particularly
18:11say at this point
18:11that it's tilted
18:13one way or another.
18:14So you don't think
18:15that for women actors
18:16it's a greater struggle
18:17to be successful?
18:19That there are
18:19a lot more criteria
18:21that you have to
18:22kind of tick
18:22before you make it big?
18:24Or you didn't
18:25at least face that?
18:26I don't know
18:28I can't say
18:31that I faced it
18:32certainly
18:32but I think
18:34that men and women
18:35in their own capacities
18:37in film
18:37have certain
18:39categories
18:40that they need
18:41to fill
18:42or certain demands
18:43that need to be met.
18:45And I think
18:46it varies slightly
18:47for men and women
18:48but there are
18:48definitely demands
18:49for both.
18:50Okay, so
18:52I am glad
18:53that we're seeing
18:54that change
18:54in the industry
18:55because I think
18:55ten years ago
18:56if you had a conversation
18:57about what the industry
18:58was like
18:59it's very different
19:00from today.
19:01So you're seeing
19:01that progress
19:02and I think
19:02it's a movement
19:03in the right direction.
19:05You've worked
19:05of course
19:06in Sandalwood
19:06and we've spoken
19:07in great detail
19:08about the work
19:08that's coming up
19:09and what you've done
19:10already.
19:10You've also worked
19:11in the Tamil film industry
19:14in the Telugu film industry.
19:15How different
19:16is each of these?
19:17Is the process
19:18very similar?
19:19Are they very different?
19:21You know,
19:22rather than industries
19:23I would say
19:24that each set
19:25has a very different tenor
19:26and that's personally
19:29one of the things
19:29that I find
19:30extremely exciting
19:31about my work
19:31is that
19:32it's almost
19:34like a new job.
19:35Every film
19:35is a completely
19:36new set of people
19:37a new character
19:38a new film
19:39a new world sometimes.
19:41So
19:41you're constantly
19:43on your toes
19:44you're constantly
19:44adapting
19:45and for somebody
19:46like me
19:47that's very
19:48very exciting.
19:48So rather than
19:49differences across
19:50industries
19:51I would say
19:51each individual
19:52set
19:53has a very
19:53different flavor
19:54to it.
19:55You know
19:55you've described
19:56journalism in a way
19:57because that's
19:58exactly what all of us
19:59I think are addicted
20:00to the constant
20:01churn
20:02you know
20:02you're never
20:02bored
20:03it's never monotonous.
20:05So you would enjoy
20:05the film industry
20:06as well.
20:07I don't know about that
20:07but is that what
20:09you know
20:10kind of
20:10attracted you to films
20:12is that why
20:12you said that
20:13look I want to be
20:14an actor
20:14this is what I want to do
20:15because you said
20:16you had great clarity
20:16about that.
20:18I did
20:19I'll tell you what
20:21for me I think
20:22it was the fact
20:22that I felt at home
20:25on stage
20:26I felt comfortable
20:27talking to a large
20:29group of people
20:29I felt comfortable
20:31pretending to be
20:33someone else
20:34I felt really
20:35comfortable in an
20:36imaginative world
20:37and I didn't feel
20:40strange when
20:41people looked at me
20:42when I was pretending
20:43to be someone else
20:44that felt like a treat
20:45so that sense
20:47of comfort
20:48I think was the
20:48first thing
20:49that made me feel
20:50like this was
20:51something that
20:52could be possible
20:52and then obviously
20:53you know
20:54parents or friends
20:55coming and saying
20:55oh you did a good
20:56job in that
20:56then you're like
20:57okay
20:57maybe this is
20:59something I can do
21:00at that
21:00you know
21:00at that
21:01adolescent phase
21:02where you're
21:02trying to figure
21:03out what it is
21:03you like
21:04and what
21:04you're good at
21:05so I got a little
21:07lucky I think
21:08with doing plays
21:09and performances
21:10and a lot
21:11of generous
21:11people coming
21:12up to me
21:13and telling me
21:13whether they
21:13meant it or not
21:14that I was
21:15doing a good
21:15job
21:15you know
21:18if we were
21:18if you were
21:19to join us
21:20next year
21:20here at the
21:21India Today
21:21Conclave
21:22or let's say
21:23five years
21:23from now
21:24you're still
21:24early on
21:24in your career
21:25what really
21:27would you
21:27want people
21:28the audiences
21:29to remember
21:30Rukmini Vasandas
21:31what you know
21:32what is the
21:32legacy you want
21:33to leave
21:34it's very early
21:34to talk about
21:35this but I
21:36want to understand
21:36what really
21:37is driving you
21:38and which direction
21:38you're headed in
21:39oh wow
21:40that's
21:41that's an
21:42incredible question
21:43that I'm not
21:46sure I see
21:46the thing that
21:47has given me
21:48a lot of
21:48gratification
21:50and joy
21:50thus far
21:51is having
21:52played characters
21:53that resonate
21:54in people's
21:55lives very
21:55deeply
21:56Priya was one
21:57of those
21:57characters
21:57that you
21:58know seems
21:59to have
21:59nestled very
22:01deeply
22:02in people's
22:03hearts
22:03the number
22:04of DMs
22:04I've got
22:05about you
22:05know past
22:06loves that
22:07people have
22:07been reminded
22:08of
22:08and a lot
22:10of that
22:10is testament
22:11to stellar
22:12writing
22:12but it's
22:14meant a lot
22:15to me
22:15that I've
22:17been able
22:17to lend
22:17some life
22:18to what
22:19is some
22:19already amazing
22:20writing
22:20so you know
22:21I hope
22:22that I will
22:23continue to be
22:24involved in
22:25films that
22:26in some
22:27capacity
22:28are able to
22:29give people
22:29some sort
22:30of feeling
22:30I think
22:32that's a
22:32very vague
22:33answer
22:33but hopefully
22:34so you
22:35want to
22:37focus on
22:37the emotion
22:38of films
22:39do numbers
22:40matter
22:40you know
22:42ensuring a
22:43film is a
22:44super hit
22:44pan India
22:45as we've
22:45been talking
22:46about
22:46see the
22:47complexity
22:48with film
22:49is that
22:49it is both
22:50an art
22:50and a
22:51business
22:51I am an
22:53artist
22:53and not
22:54yet perhaps
22:55a business
22:55person
22:56in film
22:57so I don't
22:58know that I
22:58can contribute
22:59about that
22:59obviously the
23:00business is
23:00important
23:01because without
23:01the business
23:02part of it
23:02the art
23:03cannot exist
23:03so it's a
23:05lovely dance
23:05that goes on
23:06between the
23:06two of them
23:07so numbers
23:07matter
23:08yes
23:08do they
23:09matter to
23:09the artist
23:10as much
23:11I don't
23:11know
23:12but right
23:14now my
23:14priority is
23:15the art
23:15I hope
23:16the numbers
23:17work because
23:17they will
23:18ensure that
23:18I can
23:19continue to
23:19be a part
23:20of the art
23:20but when
23:23a film moves
23:24you I don't
23:25know if you're
23:25thinking man
23:26this made
23:261200 crores
23:27you know
23:28I don't know
23:29that that's
23:29what you walk
23:30away with
23:30it is
23:32important
23:32certainly
23:33and I'm
23:34not the
23:34right person
23:35to be
23:35talking about
23:35it
23:36but what
23:37I would
23:37like to
23:38continue to
23:38facilitate
23:39through film
23:40is feeling
23:40so yeah
23:43I think the
23:44emotion
23:45and that's
23:45exactly since
23:46you know
23:46you're talking
23:47about giving
23:48something to
23:49the audience
23:49which is
23:50feeling
23:50I think the
23:51emotion that
23:51you put
23:52across in
23:52your films
23:53through your
23:53eyes and
23:54how you
23:54emote is
23:55what really
23:55stood out
23:55for so many
23:56people
23:57and you
23:58know there's
23:58one clip
23:59from the
23:59film which
24:00again I
24:01love which
24:01is of you
24:01singing
24:02and that
24:04is with
24:04of course
24:05Rakshat Shetty
24:06hooting in
24:06the back
24:07there's so
24:08much emotion
24:08in that
24:09particular
24:09scene
24:10that I
24:10wonder how
24:11do you
24:11really
24:12you know
24:13connect to
24:13that kind
24:14of a
24:14moment
24:14when you're
24:15doing that
24:15kind of a
24:16scene which
24:16we've got
24:16up right
24:17now
24:17and that's
24:19the scene
24:19that I'm
24:19talking about
24:20where you're
24:20singing
24:21and this is
24:21right in the
24:22beginning of
24:22the movie
24:23how do you
24:24get that
24:24kind of
24:24emotion to
24:25relate to
24:25this character
24:26of so much
24:27heartbreak
24:27and then
24:27emote it
24:28I think
24:30a great
24:31deal of
24:31that does
24:32come from
24:32your director
24:33because they
24:34envision the
24:35emotional space
24:36and what is
24:38in the
24:38character's
24:39heart I
24:40think our
24:40director for
24:41this film
24:41Hemantem
24:42Rao is
24:42a very
24:44very empathetic
24:45person and
24:46he's also
24:46very well
24:48spoken so
24:49he was able
24:50to communicate
24:50to me I
24:51think the
24:51essence of
24:52what he
24:52wanted
24:52covered and
24:54then part
24:54of my
24:55process is
24:55a lot of
24:56writing I
24:57do sort
24:57of journal a
24:58little bit
24:59and then
24:59delve into
25:00what the
25:00emotional space
25:01might be
25:02for the
25:03character and
25:04then you
25:04let all these
25:05ideas sort
25:05of marinate
25:07inside you
25:08and then they
25:09call for
25:09action and
25:10then you see
25:10what happens
25:11and then there's
25:11two or three
25:12takes and
25:13yeah this is
25:14one of the
25:15two or three
25:15so there is
25:16there is
25:17personally I
25:18believe that
25:18there is a
25:19lot of
25:19planning that
25:20goes before
25:21first as my
25:22process but
25:23then there is
25:23also a great
25:24deal of
25:24magic that
25:25just happens
25:25in the moment
25:26especially when
25:26you have you
25:28know actors
25:28like Rakshit
25:29who are just
25:30fantastic they
25:31give you so
25:32much that you
25:33end up also
25:34reflecting a
25:35great deal
25:35okay speaking
25:37of this scene
25:38I think you
25:39know what's
25:39coming but
25:39there is a
25:40raging debate
25:41in social media
25:42twitter and
25:44instagram are
25:44divided twitter
25:45as you told me
25:46thinks you're a
25:46bad singer
25:47instagram thinks
25:48you're a good
25:49singer so I
25:49think we let
25:50our audiences
25:50decide which
25:51one is it
25:52no I
25:53think the
25:53large demand
25:56will be of
25:57cuddle nookie
25:58sing a few
25:58lines of that
25:59for us there
25:59you go
25:59no let them
26:01decide I
26:03think a great
26:04deal of an
26:04actor's aura
26:06is their mystery
26:07so that's
26:08that's broken
26:09you've gone to
26:09social media with
26:10this song already
26:11so go ahead
26:13just a few
26:13lines
26:14I don't think
26:17she doesn't
26:19want to do it
26:20right here so
26:21we listen to it
26:21on social media
26:22but thank you so
26:23much Rukmini for
26:25joining us here at
26:25the India Today
26:26Conclave and all
26:27the very best for
26:28Toxic for
26:29Kantara and much
26:30much more I'm
26:31very sure it's
26:31been a real
26:32pleasure thank you
26:32all so much
26:33thank you
26:35thank you
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