‘I toiled for 4 months to hone my cricket skills for Dear Comrade’

Ahead of the release of her fourth Telugu film, Dear Comrade, Rashmika Mandanna seems to be bouncing with excitement. She plays a cricketer in the film and admits it is the “most physically demanding role” of her career. “I played a lot of sports growing up and was particularly good in athletics, basketball and swimming too. But cricket was never my thing. So when I first read director Bharat Kamma’s script, I was like, “I never held a cricket bat in my life! But the script was so engrossing, I finished reading it in one hour flat.I’m not really much of a reader honestly, yet I was so fascinated by the story and its female character’s journey; I just had to do it,” she exclaims, giggling.
Dear Comrade is the story of Lilly and Bobby, played by Vijay Deverakonda. “They are neighbours and the film charts the duo’s journey through different phases of their lives. It is an evocative tale of love and friendship that will resonate with everyone,” says the actress. Rashmika didn’t leave any stone unturned to get into the skin of her character. “She’s a state-level cricketer aiming to break into the national team. So I really had to get a hang of the sport to carry the role off believably,” she says, adding, “I trained for four months before I began shooting and got bruised all over my body and face too, in the process. But now, I can proudly say that I can defend my wicket well. After playing this role, my respect for women cricketers has gone up.”
There is a Lilly in every woman, reckons Rashmika. “This role has made me realise why every woman must fight to be what she wants to become. Our mothers and grandmothers couldn’t always fulfil their dreams, but we have the choice to do so. We owe it to them to make them proud, don’t we? I sound like a grandmother now but I’m sure you will agree with me once you see the film,” she says, signing off.
Produced by Mythri Movie Makers and Big Ben Cinemas, Dear Comrade is releasing tomorrow.