Rashmi Gopinath
, who debuted in
Kollywood
with Yogi Babu-starrer
Cocktail
has a new identity – she has changed her name to Niviksha! Ask her why and the youngster says, “One of the main reasons is, people weren’t able to pronounce my name. I would often get called Reshmi or Reshma. So, I wanted to change my name. Since I also believe in numerology, I went with
Niviksha
Naidu. It’s been three months since I took on that name. However, I haven’t changed it legally. Niviksha will be my screen name.”
The actress, who’s presently in Bangalore, has signed quite a few films in Telugu and Kannada industries now. “I completed shooting for a Telugu-Hindi bilingual, directed by Ajay Nali, just before the lockdown. It’s a spy thriller and stars director Ravi Babu in an important role. While Kannada actor Raj Surya plays the hero, I play the female lead. Though it’s a thriller, there’s a lovely brother-sister sentiment angle in the film, between me and actor Ajay,” says Niviksha, who learnt to ride a bike for her role. “The riding skill also helped me in one of my Kannada films,” she beams.
Though she has her hands full with films in other languages, Niviksha hasn’t signed her next in Kollywood. “After Cocktail, I got quite a few offers, but none of the roles were substantial. I don’t want to just play the love interest of the hero. I know it’s difficult for a newcomer to snag really good characters at the start, and I don’t want to be choosy as well. But I also don’t want to get slotted as someone who does only a particular kind of role. That’s why I am taking my time to do the best of the films that come my way,” she signs off.