I loved Keerthy Suresh’s role in Rajini Murugan and I got to play it in Raj Vishnu

When filmmaker Ramu picked up the Kannada remake rights of the Tamil film Rajini Murugan, he knew he wanted Sharan in the lead. He was also enamoured by its heroine, Keerthy Suresh, in a role that catapulted her to instant fame. “I was keen to have her star in our remake as well, but Rajini Murugan made her one of the busiest actresses in Kollywood and there was no way she could accommodate a Kannada film. My next best bet was to find an actress who not only looked a lot like Keerthy, but could also pull off the role with ease. We did that with Mumbai girl Vaibhavi Shandilya,” says Ramu.
One of the prerequisites that the team of Raj Vishnu — the Kannada version of Rajini Murugan — had for the heroine was that they wanted a Maharashtrian, which worked out well for Vaibhavi. “During the shoot of two of my upcoming Tamil films, I often saw the songs of Rajini Murugan on TV and absolutely loved them. So, when I heard that it was being remade in Kannada, I decided to audition. I was one of nearly 300 girls who were shortlisted for the role, but luck favoured me,” says the actress.
A law college drop-out who does not believe in wasting time on academic pursuits that she says may not contribute to intellect, Vaibhavi was clear that films is what she wants to do, even though her family has no filmi connect. “My dad is a fine arts graduate and I also paint. I thought that arts was the direction I wanted my life to take, but then I wondered if I could make a living off it, considering how much art is now done with the help of computer technology. My elder brother was already in law college by then, so I also followed suit, but by the second year I had enough and walked out of the exam hall, convinced that I never wanted to come back. My dad knew what I had done, but my mom was quite upset and not keen on my choice to get into acting. Like most other people who have no connection to the industry, she also had a not-so-rosy image of it, but I told her that I would wait till I get my break and not compromise my way up the ladder. She relented and, today, is one of my biggest supporters,” says Vaibhavi.
The actress, who has done two Marathi films, is excited that Raj Vishnu will mark her south film debut. “Working with this team was a pleasure. Ramu sir and my co-stars, Sharan and Chikkanna, made me feel comfortable on set and helped me enjoy the process, even though I did not know the language. Chikkanna and I had the most amazing conversations that were mostly about sign language,” she says.