Manali Rathod, who made her acting debut in Telugu cinema with Green Signal, has bagged an important role in Deekay's upcoming adventure flick, Kaateri. 

The actor says, "I'll be shooting my portions for a week starting from May 14 in Sri Lanka, and then head to Chennai. This is my first project in Tamil, and I am excited beyond words."

So what role does she play in Kaateri? "I am not in a liberty to discuss that, but it's a traditional one. I am looking forward to joining the sets soon."

Manali adds that she didn't audition for her role. "My manager had sent my photographs to producer Gnanavel Raja, and he decided to cast me. I have immense respect for Tamil films because of my good friend Anandi. We worked together in Green Signal, and she has been doing good work here."

She wants to work with Vijay Sethupathi and Sivakarthikeyan. "I am a huge fan of them," smiles Manali. 

Kaateri features Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Sonam Bajwa and Aathmika in the lead.