Location Diaries- Srushti Dange: To stand tall among stars

Shooting with the large ensemble cast of Chandramukhi 2 was both a fun and learning experience for actor Srushti Dange. The actor will be seen alongside Raghava Lawrence, Kangana Ranaut, Vadivelu, Raadika Sarathkumar, Mahima Nambiar, Lakshmi Menon, and Ravi Maria in the upcoming P Vasu directorial.

For one part of the shoot, she travelled to Mysuru. "For the first time, I stayed in Mysuru for so long, nearly 35 days. On sets every day, we all had such good vibes. We all had meals together, played pranks on each other or just chatted between shots. On days when there was no shoot, we would go sightseeing and then meet up again for dinner. It felt like being on a family vacation," says Srushti.

Even when she had no scenes to shoot, Srushti liked to visit the set the sets and observe the filming. "It is a great way to keep learning as an actor," she reveals. Working with Raghava Lawrence was also a learning experience. "He has a very lighthearted vibe and gets everyone comfortable." According to the actor, Raghava managed to keep the spirits high on the sets even though he was not particularly feeling well at the moment. Talking about how she learned to be a professional from him, Srushti says, "But he always made light of everything on sets and though he had a sprain later, he never let it show. Despite being such a renowned artist, this lightness of spirit was inspiring, and so I was not nervous when performing with him."

Working with a veteran director like P Vasu was an opportunity she cherished dearly and so was determined to make a mark. "In a large cast, it is important to do your best and get noticed for your work. Watching such huge talents at work each day, I began to have self-doubts and started losing confidence in myself. But then a wonderful opportunity came along that helped me."  

Elaborating on that Srushti recollected how for a particular scene she had to deliver a long dialogue for a close-up shot, which ended up becoming her moment of recognition. She says, "Now, Vasu sir didn't know I could speak Tamil fluently. So he was planning to cut down the lines drastically since he was not sure I could pull it off. But I was determined to not let this opportunity slip away." So, before the lines could be chopped, Srushti learned the entire dialogue and performed it in one take. "When I finished, to my utter delight, Vasu sir started clapping loudly and complimented me. From then on, I could see he had full confidence in me. It was my most cherished moment of the shoot," she signs off with a smile.