Aashish Raj: Nurturing a passion

As he awaits the release of his upcoming romedy Ego, the actor opens up on his journey from theatre and modelling to films
Aashish Raj: Nurturing a passion

Aashish Raj, who hails from Hyderabad, had a gut feeling that he would be seen on the big screen at some time in the future. His rendezvous with acting began when he was 18. “I did theatre at Samahaara, and back then, my friends asked me to try my luck at modeling. Soon, I shifted to Mumbai and did a few commercials." The actor would visit film sets on a regular basis, and watch and learn about the acting process. 

He adds, “One day when I was auditioning for a commercial, I got a call from VKA films for my debut film Aakatayi." 

The actor won accolades for his performance in that film and eventually, the same producers signed him on for his second film Ego. "My short stint in theatre and commercials helped me prepare for the things to come. It was quite natural for me to graduate from theatre and modelling to films.”

Ego, his next release, is set in both urban and rural backdrops. “I play Gopi, a spirited and an affable village lad, who has an inherited disposition called ego. His temperament causes a rift with his father and family. The story then slowly shifts to the city.”

Aashish says that the team had a great time shooting in villages near Rajahmundry and Palakollu.

“We enjoyed shooting in the scenic locales of Coastal Andhra. The villagers and their love for films was exceptional. They used to come in large numbers, ask for selfies and made us all comfortable."

Despite being fluent in Telugu, Aashish couldn’t dub his lines for Ego due to an injury he sustained on the sets.

“I sprained my ankle and couldn’t get out of the bed. As the dubbing was underway simultaneously, and the makers were determined to wrap up the shoot quickly, director Subrahmanyam asked someone to dub for me,” he explains.

Produced by Vijay, Kaushal and Anil Karan under VKA Films, the film also has Simran Sharma and Diksha Panth as the female leads.

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