Raju Kannada Medium took me back to my school days

Although Raju Kannada Medium was the first film that she signed after her debut flick,

Crazy Boy

,

Ashika

has seen two releases since. The gap of two years since the film’s completion has Ashika excited to see herself onscreen as a Class 9 school girl from a village. “I have been getting offers to play matured roles above my age, but in this film, I play someone younger than I am, so it was a lot of fun; it was a different experience. I don’t think that a lot of heroines get to play such roles, so I am happy to have got this role,” says Ashika.

The look of her character was important to maintain authenticity. So, what sort of preparation went into the city-bred, English-schooled Ashika? “To look younger, I had to lose some weight. We shot at a school in

Malnad

, where Gurunandan (the lead actor) is from. He shared his experiences of growing up there, which helped with portraying the role. Also, once we were there, I observed how the girls in that school behaved and how they dressed. I had to cultivate the look, and I think I did a good job, since people thought that I looked apt with pigtails, ribbons, bindi and bangles,” she says.

So, did the role ignite memories of her own school days? Ashika says, “I had to wear a school uniform almost every day of the shoot, and was so bored of it (laughs). In other films, I get to try out different clothes that are modern and trendy. Jokes apart, with this film, I really did go back to my school days, in terms of wearing a uniform every day. It also brought back fun memories of playing in the school corridor.”