Glad to make my Bollywood debut in a realistic role: Gayathri Iyer

Gayathri Iyer, who has established herself in Kannada cinema, is making her Bollywood debut in the role of an income tax sleuth in Raid. The actor says she is happy to work with Ajay Devgn, and glad to foray into Hindi cinema with a non-glamorous part.

Raid is directed by Rajkumar Gupta, and also features Ileana D'Cruz.

"I'm glad my debut is a non-glam and realistic role. Even in the south, I leaned towards roles which didn't require me to be just a pretty prop. It's not that I dread running around trees (I have done that and enjoyed it too). It is just that glamour without substance eventually gets vapid," says Gayathri.

On working with Ajay, she says, "I know Ajay sir is a very good actor and a big star but what really struck me was how completely apolitical he is, and how everything he says or does seems to have so much integrity. I was thinking that with his star power combined with his integrity, he could be a very strong social influence. Of course, I couldn't bring myself to suggest this to him in person."

She is also looking forward to working more with Rajkumar Gupta. "I was excited to debut in Bollywood with his direction, especially since he gave a landmark role to Vidya Balan (No One Killed Jessica), who is also an actor of southern origin. But, because of the huge ensemble cast in Raid, we were unable to communicate much one-on-one. Hope I get to work with him again," adds Gayathri.