Vaibhavi all set to take the south by storm 

Only a handful of Marathi actresses take a chance with South Indian movies, Vaibhavi Shandilya is one of them. She started with a movie in Kollywood, and now she will have her Kannada debut with Raj Vishnu. The film, directed by K Madesh, stars Sharan along with Chikkanna.

Vaibhavi says that it was the original Tamil movie Rajini Murugan, which drew her to the project. “Since I am getting acquainted more with Kollywood, I have been watching Tamil cinema, and that's when I came across Rajini Murugan,” she says. “I loved its songs and the way the movie was presented, and the characterisations, particularly of the heroine, played by Keerthi Suresh. After a couple of months, I heard that a similar script was being made into a movie in Kannada, under the banner of Ramu Films. When it was offered to me, I had no second thoughts.”

The actress says that she is currently doing two Tamil films and was looking to try her hand at a Kannada movie.

Vaibhavi adds that she has no hang-ups about working in the South Indian movie industry. “I don’t mind being part of any language as long as the project has a good script and a good team of people to work with,” she says.

But she is new to this region, so how did she learn about producers, banners and directors to work with here? “I am lucky to have my aunt Sushma Kaul, who is also my manager,” she says. “She has been in this industry for 25 years, and she has contributed much to it; people respect her suggestions. She is good friends with Malashree, wife of producer Ramu, and that is how I came to know of this project,” says Vaibhavi.

“Choosing the right script is what I do. I leave it to the person who manages my work on choosing the best people to be around.”

Vaibhavi, who started with Santhanam’s Server Sundaram, is currently working with the actor again for Sakka Podu Podu Raja. Meanwhile, she is also happy to announce her Telugu debut. “My first Tollywood project will be with actor Aadi, Saikumar’s son, which is being made under big banners. I am already done with its shooting and have only patchwork left,” she says, adding, “I am glad to have worked in the south. Through this process, I have observed that the culture and food here is almost similar to that of a Maharastrian family.”