I force myself to be the original me in all my characters

It’s been quite a year for Rashmika Mandanna. From being a college student, she became every young man’s dream girl Saanvi, after her debut flick Kirik Party released last December. That is also where she met the love of her life, fiancé Rakshit Shetty. The year 2017 has been all about shuttling between film sets for Rashmika. In less than a year after making her filmi debut, this 2014 Times Fresh Face winner has acted with big names in Sandalwood, and is all set to carve a place for herself in Tollywood as well.As the year winds to a close, Rashmika has not one, but two big-ticket films set to release — Anjaniputra with Puneeth Rajkumar on Thursday and #Chamak with Ganesh next week. The pretty lady took time off from her packed schedule to tell us about being a workaholic and why she will probably always be Saanvi…
From December 2016 to December 2017 — a lot seems to have changed…
Last year, I was the student Rashmika, and now, I am the workaholic Rashmika. I have been working throughout the year, with a few breaks here and there. It’s been a lot of work, it’s going to continue to be that way, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. It is pressurizing at times, but I enjoy this pressure. I would go nuts if I didn’t have any work — I simply cannot sit at home, doing nothing. I am happy and proud of where I am today.
You had said that for Kirik Party, you didn’t act, you became the character. Is that still your approach to acting?
Yes. I force myself to be the original me in all my characters. I was once told that you have all the characters in you — you just have to magnify them. And that is my approach to acting. I actually can’t act; I can’t fake anything. I keep the story in mind and think what I would have done if I was in a particular situation. When I say my dialogues, my mind is blank. When the director asks for a retake, I wouldn’t know what I did in the last take, but surprisingly, it turns out to be the same, because I wasn’t acting in the first place. For instance, there were some things that I never imagined I could do. But when I saw the results, I was like, ‘Wow, I can actually do that!’
What is your dream role?
I really want to essay a Mastani-like character — that of a strong, powerful woman. Apart from that, I would also like to play an evil person. I don’t know if I can pull it off, but I would like to surprise myself.
I don’t know if we can picture that, given that people still call you Saanvi…
I think even my family has forgotten the name they gave me; they like Saanvi better. I know that after my other films release, I will be known as an actor. But, I will forever be Saanvi for people — that is the character that I am most attached to and that people relate to me the most. Having said that, I hope my other characters resonate with audiences as well.
‘TEACHER’ GANESH AND ‘CHILD’ SUNI…
When director Suni approached Rashmika for #Chamak, she was onboard right away. When we ask her what it was like to have the soft-spoke Suni as a director, she says, “He would tell us how he wanted a certain shot, but if you improvize, he would always be open to it. I used to go up to him and ask him, ‘Is this really OK? I want to do what you want.’ He would tell me what he wanted only if I went up to him and asked him. Talking to him was like talking to a child — in a very mild tone. I have a younger sister, so I know how to talk to him (laughs). Suni sir is like a family member — everyone in my family is like a child and I am like their mother!” As for working with Ganesh, she adds, “I have a teacher-student relationship with him. He is spontaneous and improvizes a lot. By watching him, I began learning and now, I am a better actor thanks to that.”