Actor Ashika Ranganath is looking forward to being part of the Sardar universe, describing Sardar 2 as a departure from the commercial roles she has previously taken up. Directed by PS Mithran and starring Karthi, the action spy thriller has given her an opportunity to explore a different space as an actor, she tells NDTV in an exclusive chat.
"I'm super excited because this is a very new genre for me. It's the first time I'm trying something in this space, like an action spy thriller," says Ashika as she settles down for a chat. "I have worked in many commercial entertainers but this time Sardar 2 is very content-driven and also large in scale. There's a lot of action which I haven't done before. This isn't just about being part of a huge project, but the film also has a lot of space for my role. I'm looking forward to it because I think this is the kind of subject that people want these days."
While Sardar 2 features several important female characters, the actor says she did not have combination scenes with Malavika Mohanan or Rajisha Vijayan, whose portions are connected to different timelines. "I appear in the present-day story. It's mostly with Karthi sir and some scenes with SJ Suryah sir. In this film, it's mostly about a lot of important characters adding to the story rather than being the female lead or the male lead as such. Everybody has got their importance in the film," she explains about the PS Mithran-directorial.
This marks the actor's first collaboration with Karthi, and she says what impressed her most was his passion and attention to detail. "I think he's extremely passionate, constantly thinking of how to add on or elevate a scene or sequence. I can see that deep-rooted passion that he has for movies. In any scene or anything that he does, even during promotions and stuff, he is very clear on what he wants. There's so much perfection, along with the ease with which he does anything," reveals Ashika about her co-star. As a person too, Karthi is very humble and this is striking, she adds. "As a human being also, he's so grounded. Although he's such a huge star, he is so simple and grounded. The humility is something that stood out to me."
The Vishwambhara actor, who hails from Bengaluru and started her career there, works across south cinema today but says Kannada cinema will always hold a special place in her life. "Of course, it is because that's where I started. And also, it's my home. It's comfort, language, my space for being. Any day I would prefer to stay at home, wake up, have home food, go to work and come back home. I do miss that aspect since I'm mostly working in Tamil and Telugu right now," she states.
Ask Ashika why she took a long time to make her debut in Tamil and Telugu and she says she initially stayed away from other industries because she was reluctant to leave her comfort zone. Reasons the Amigos actor, "For the first five years of my career I was mostly a very secure, comfortable person being in my place (Bengaluru). I didn't want to go elsewhere because I didn't know the language and I didn't know how everything worked. In the Kannada industry, I play the leading lady and the kind of scripts that come to me from Kannada are much more advanced than what I am getting in Telugu and Tamil at the moment. Roles are also written for me. In Tamil and Telugu, I'm still establishing myself. But I think that is the way I'm making myself very happy and satisfied as an actor - trying to do different roles in different languages."
Another exciting project Ashika has completed is Megastar Chiranjeevi's Vishwambhara, an adventure-fantasy film. "Working with Chiranjeevi sir was amazing because of his charm, his aura - he's a superstar. I've grown up listening to his songs and seeing his dance numbers. So, to even be part of a project, a magnum opus like that, is something truly incredible. On set, I really enjoyed listening to his stories and his experiences in movies over all these years. It's very inspiring and motivating as an actor," she gushes.
She also had a brief opportunity to meet Trisha, who is part of Vishwambhara as well. "It was a very brief time but I was just so mesmerised looking at her. She's so beautiful, and her persona as a whole is beautiful. It was a moment for me," smiles Ashika.
The Miss You actor is currently listening to a couple of Kannada scripts and is also working on two Telugu projects. "One is with SKN sir, the makers of Baby. I'm partnering with them for a very exciting project and I have a project with Sithara Entertainments, starring Sree Vishnu," she adds. "I have been getting Tamil projects but I'm looking for something more exciting than regular characters, which I've already done. I want to work with a good team and good directors - it's more about learning and discovering myself as an actor. Sardar 2 was such a team - I want to do more of such films and work with more such technicians, so I get to learn and polish myself," she signs off.
