Aishwarya Rajesh, who has worked in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam films, has made a place for herself by picking up a strong character. She wowed the audience with her performance in the recent Tamil thriller, Farhana. Currently, the actress is in talks for Telugu films and has been reading scripts as well apart from bagging Tamil and Hindi films. In an exclusive interaction with The Free Press Journal, Aishwarya talks about playing strong, women characters, Farhana, and more. Excerpts:
Several stories based on Muslim women are being picked. Is it a coincidence or a deliberate attempt?
I don’t think it’s a deliberate attempt but why is it a problem when it comes to telling stories on Islamic women? This story was worked on for almost four years. I was raised being taught there is no religious barrier. We have so many Hindu and Christian friends from other religions as well. I haven’t seen The Kerala Story, so I have no clue about it. Of course, it could be a coincidence and can’t be a deliberate attempt. Some people think it’s against their religion. Next Eid we are going to have biryani and celebrate it with Muslim friends. A few people wanted to drag me into court for having played this role. But, now after watching the film, they are all regretting having trolled me earlier.
Farhana has received rave reviews, your take?
It’s a story about a middle-class married woman with three kids and a big family. She hails from an orthodox Muslim family. She works in a call centre due to financial crisis and what happens thereafter forms the crux of the story. The film has to have good content you must watch. Nelson (director) used to work in a call centre. I am not sure if he picked up from real incidents.
You seem to like doing women-centric films, any particular reason?
I feel there are millions of stories conveyed through women. Hence, I decided to do films where women can celebrated. I just want to do my best for women-centric films.
Would you prefer solo or multi-starrer films?
I don’t mind doing multi-starrers — whether women-driven or otherwise. The content has to be good. It’s a package, cinema will not do well if only one actor is performing. A team effort is essential.
How do you look at the changes in Indian cinema?
Indian cinema is already celebrated. Films are made in different languages and are released simultaneously all over the globe. Language is not a barrier. People are watching good films — be it from South filmmakers or other parts of the world. People have become wise and know what cinema to watch. If you spend crores of rupees for bigger stars, people are not going to watch it. Small films with good content are becoming important.
What next?
My next movie is with Lyca Productions. It’s a Tamil film. I have done one Hindi and Tamil collaborative film.
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