I choose a film for its team: Vedhika

Vedhika believes that success of a film depends on the people who work on it. Therefore, it is important for her to know who she will be working with. That’s how she picked Gowdru Hotel, the actor tells CE. 

The film, a remake of Malayalam hit Ustad Hotel, will be released this week and Vedhika is looking forward to it. “I usually go with my instinct and the team of Gowdru Hotel felt right. The film’s cast includes Prakash Rai and Anant Nag, has music by Yuvan Shankar Raj and is directed by Pon Kumar, which itself was a major attraction for me to do this film,” she says.

That it is a remake did not matter, asserts Vedhika, who says that she looks forward to the process of making a film. “It should be enjoyable and a learning experience for me. A good team always makes a good film, and the rest is left to the audience,” she adds.

How will she make her character fresh and interesting? “I have seen the original, but it has been a while. I didn’t refer to it while shooting for the film. I tried to do things my way without dwelling on how the original sequence was. I have followed my director’s instructions,” says Vedhika, who adds that this remake is not a copy-paste of the original. 

“The team has made many changes to the script. It was changed to suit audience in Karnataka, starting with the title Gowdru Hotel. With this Kannada flavour, it is as good as a new film,” she says. “Some elements have been left as before, but for the local audience to connect to it, the telling of the story has to be changed. This is a unique film because it is set around food. I get to play a role different from my earlier ones and this should be fun,” she adds.

Ragi is the staple food in a Gowdru family. “I tried the mudde (ragi ball), which is a signature dish of the community,” she says, adding that it is also highlight of the film. “There is a scene that explains the recipe. I was told that we were supposed to swallow it, but I am yet to master that.”

On her forthcoming projects, Vedhika says she is working round the clock. The actor has been shooting for her upcoming Tamil film Kanchana 3 with Raghava Lawerence, while making time for her Kannada film Home Minister, in which she stars opposite Upendra. “I am quite enjoying working 24/7,” she signs off.