Still reeling from my first love: Raashi Khanna

Raashi Khanna is trying to add many shades to her characters and is already making waves with her slender look in the upcoming film Tholi Prema. “I have lost about five kilos for my role, Varsha, in the film. She goes through three phases of her life when she falls and fails in love successively with the same guy. As I had to portray three different looks in the film, including that of a 19-year-old girl for the first time in my career, I decided to shed some weight,” she says.

The actor didn’t go on any special diet, but followed a natural process instead. “It was a slow and steady process. I worked out in the gym and ate a good protein diet. Incidentally, Varun (Tej, her co-star) and I have a common trainer so we trained together to get the desired look for our characters.”

Asked her if she has ever been in love, she says, “At 17, I got the first taste of love and the first crush in my school. It didn’t work out though and post that experience, I never met anyone interesting. Right now, I have no time to think about love as I’m busy with my work.”

Raashi says that she drew a lot from her real life for her character. “Going by my first love, I’ve found similarities between Varsha and my real self and felt this story is really close to me. Honestly, many people wished to see me in such films. The response to the trailer was great and I’m confident that the audience will equally enjoy watching the film in theatres.”

The actor has raised an eyebrow on the sets when she wore glasses for one of the three looks. “My nerd look in the film became so popular that people on the sets used to call me Harry Khanna, the female version of Harry Potter. It was a funny experience,” laughs Raashi.

Declaring that she has watched Pawan Kalyan’s Tholi Prema, Raashi is quick to clarify that her film has no similarities with the 1998 blockbuster which it shares a name with. “I’ve watched Pawan Kalyan’s Tholi Prema and I know how it went onto influence the youngsters of that generation. I’ve enjoyed watching that film. But having said that, it’s unfair to compare both these films. I can confidently say that the setting and story of both the films are completely different.”

Heaping praise on director Venky Atluri, she says, “He is completely understanding and has a lot of patience. He lived with the script for two years and he explored it in all possible ways.”

The 27-year-old actor reveals that she was surprised by her co-star Varun Tej’s dedication. “He is a workaholic and he has put in sincere efforts in the film. Although he doesn’t like to harp on it, his hard work is evident onscreen.”

Raashi, who’s familiar with the language rues not being able to dub for this film. “I was keen to do it myself. But, the director wanted 10 days of call sheets to get it done separately, which I was unable to give as I was already shooting for a film with Jayam Ravi in Tamil. Hopefully, I'll get to fulfill this wish with my next Telugu film.”