Actor Saiee Manjrekar is comfortable playing girl-next-door characters and says she will shed the image with time, by taking on diverse roles.
The 22-year-old actor made her debut with Salman Khan's Dabangg 3 and then went on to feature in Telugu movies such as Ghani, Major, and Skanda.
Her upcoming movie is Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, in which she plays the younger version of Tabu's character. The film also stars Ajay Devgn and Shantanu Maheshwari.
"The whole girl-next-door thing comes purely on the basis that I'm too young, naive, and gullible, and probably it shows somewhere (on my face). As I experience things in life, it will automatically start showing, or people will see something different in me and cast me in different roles,” she said.
"So, till I can bank on the girl-next-door role I would love to do that. When the time comes, I'll break out and do something else. I'm pretty open to things. I'm happy with the work I'm doing,” she added.
In an industry known for its unpredictability, Saiee, the daughter of noted actor and filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar, said the journey of every actor is unique.
“Roadblocks are there in everything one does today. I look at it as a race, though that is probably not the best way to look at it. Everyone is running towards the finish line; I feel the end goal for everyone is the same, but someone might be running downhill or uphill,” she said.
"Everyone has a different journey, but you have to live through them, experience things, and see where you want to be,” she added.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, directed by Neeraj Pandey, revolves around a couple, played by Ajay Devgn and Tabu, who separate when the former is jailed for murder. They cross paths after 20 years when he is released from prison.
On her experience of working with Tabu, Saiee said, “I feel Tabu ma'am's ease with which she goes about a scene is really inspiring. She is so easy and natural in front of the camera and that inspires me a lot.” Also starring Jimmy Shergill, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is set to be released in theatres on August 2.
The film is presented by NH Studioz and a Friday Filmworks production. It is produced by Narendra Hirawat, Kumar Mangat Pathak (Panorama Studios), Sangeeta Ahir and Shital Bhatia.