It was filmmaker SP Jhananathan's Peraanmai that shot Sai Dhanshika to fame. The film turned 17 recently, and quite opposite to the title (Peraanmai - Great Masculinity), it was the valour of the girls that would have saved the day for the nation in the film. Sai Dhanshika's titular role in the upcoming film, Yogi Da, is also an effective gender-stereotype-breaking practice. "Yogi Da was originally planned for a male protagonist. It was a coincidence that it turned into a female-led film. Interestingly, director Gautham Krishna made no concessions on the action front after the change. I am part of at least seven action blocks in the film, and each one of them was strenuous," begins Sai Dhanshika.
The connection between Peraanmai and Yogi Da doesn't end there. Sai Dhanshika reunites with stunt choreographers Pandian master and Ganesh after a 17-year hiatus. "Ganesh used to be my trainer for Peraanmai preparations in Pandian master's stunt school. That training came in handy throughout my career. Ganesh master is aware of my every strength and limitation. Although due care was taken, you cannot help getting injured in a film like this one," shares Sai Dhanshika, who, with some powerful performances under her belt in films that came her way after Peraanmai, as she says, has no regrets about not being prolific. "See, I cannot emote convincingly if the script doesn't move me. I cannot mask my lack of interest. In around 17 years and 30-35 films, what I regretted is accepting some bad films just because I am in a financial crunch."
On the brighter side, Sai Dhanshika says she can be proud of some really good films she was a part of and feels that heroines do not get as many opportunities to exercise their acting bones. "See, I have my share of doing every kind of film, even the non-intense and raw ones like Solo (Malayalam) and Vizhithiru. But after what Covid did to the film industry, I sense a kind of safe play among the stakeholders, and they rely more on money spinners. It's sad to see that not many actresses are allowed to star in a film like Aravaan or Paradesi, like I was offered a decade ago," she adds, circling back to the point of not doing many lighter films to state that she views it as 'destiny'. "As I said, I have regrets only on accepting certain films and not on avoiding any. Back in Pandian master's classes, I did not know what I was doing there after Peraanmai was done. But I still learned Kalari, Silambam, and gymnastics. I call it 'preparation meets opportunity'. My training led to an action role in Kabali, and even though I played an important role in Dulquer's Solo after that, it did not get the expected response in TN due to the theatre strike. Then, people preferred to see a lot of action roles. That was how Yogi Da happened."
Speaking about Yogi Da's theme and its research on violence against women, Sai Dhanshika says that she was taken aback on reading about the crimes. "Although I have read about sexual violence against women, getting to know about the extent of brutality involved was deeply disturbing," she says, adding that Yogi Da addresses this pivotal issue. "When all else fails in putting down a woman, you inflict physical pain on her. And that, in most cases, unfortunately, works. I play a character who fights back after such a traumatic incident. Yogi Da will instil confidence in women and break the debilitating victim-blaming system," she states positively that the film will do its part in putting the blame where it belongs, the perpetrator. "The film will relieve women of their guilt and remove the thought 'it all happened because of me' to 'it happened because of a bad person's bad intentions towards me'".
Although she is unambiguous about what Yogi Da as a film will focus on, she remains cautious about the impact it will have on the industry overall. "I cannot say if Yogi Da will open floodgates of sorts in the industry. You can assess only to an extent how much a film will impact. This will be packed with commercial elements, and at the same time, it will be a sensitive film," says Sai Dhanshika, who points out that her upcoming films will be a departure from the kind of bold and intense image of hers. "In addition to Yogi Da, I have three more Tamil films in the pipeline. I want to try out different films out of my urge to explore my acting range and not out of desperation. The number of films post-COVID being made is minimal, but I still prefer being choosy with my projects," she signs off.