Rakshana Induchoodan is both nervous and excited about being a part of a period drama early in her career. She is headlining filmmaker Mohan G's Draupathi 2, which is set in the 14th century. "Draupathi Devi is a really special role and is close to my heart. It will take a really long time for her to move away from me. It's not just because of the character, but because of the way I was treated with such hospitality and supported by every actor and technician," reminisces Rakshana.
Incidentally, it took a while for the crown to come calling for Rakshana. "I was one of the many actors who were shortlisted for the role. As the confirmation took time, a part of me wanted to check if I had made the cut. Then, another part of me didn't want to seem desperate. But finally, I got the call," says Rakshana, who realised the road ahead wasn't going to be easy at all.
Apart from acing the demeanour and mannerisms of a queen, Rakshana had to perfect courtly Tamil. "Even my 21st-century Tamil pronunciation isn't exactly on point. Thankfully, I had a team of ADs instructing every nuance of the pronunciation," says the Margazhi Thingal actor, whose Malayalam accent came in the way of dubbing for the role. "Though my goal is to dub for my roles in the future, I didn't want to take that risk in Draupathi 2."
Elaborating on preparing for the role, Rakshana says that playing a fictional character in a period setting presents its own unique set of obstacles. "There are no precedents to Draupathi Devi. No amount of reading about strong women of history would have helped me with this character. I followed Mohan sir's instructions solely. I also practised the mannerisms in my daily activities, like placing an object on the table," says the actor.
Rakshana is confident that Draupathi 2 will take everyone involved in the project to the next level as she explains the meticulous work that has gone into every department. "I was taken aback by the enormity of everything. Clarity would be the right word to describe Mohan sir's set; nothing was out of place. The cost of a period film is already high, and retakes can be very costly. But no scene or shot was half-heartedly finalised. The film will be a level-up for everyone involved, including Mohan sir. Technically speaking, you wouldn't believe Draupathi 2, and films Mohan sir previously did were made by the same person."
Rakshana is upbeat about her acting career after Draupathi 2, saying that she would act only in roles that add value to the film. "I do not mean that I would necessarily pursue just titular roles. Even if I appear for just two scenes, I want it to leave a lasting impact. Draupathi Devi made me discover that I could pull off powerful characters," she signs off.
