Debutante actress Yukti Thareja will be seen in 'Rangabali', which heads to theatres on July 7. In this interview, the new starlet talks about her background, her character in the film, and more.
Starring Naga Shaurya as the hero, the film is helmed by Pawan Basamsetti. "Shaurya was very supportive. This is his 23rd movie and he comes with a lot of experience. He was very warm on set," says Yukti, talking about her hero. "Facing the camera taught me practical experience," the model-turned-artist adds.
I am a Commerce graduate. I scored 96% in +12. I got admission to a very good college affiliated with Delhi University, where I was exposed to dancing and other skills. I used to participate in extra-curricular activities. A Delhi 'fresh face' contest was organized by a media house. I won the contest in my second year of college. That's when I started getting into modelling. I enjoyed the phase, as it helped me make money and it was also fun. Slowly, I started receiving acting offers. Since opportunities were coming my way, I moved to Mumbai to explore acting as a career. Initially, I spent time figuring it out.
After the Hindi song 'Lut Gaye', I became a lot famous. People came to know about me because of that song.
I auditioned for this role in 'Rangabali'. Director Pawan contacted me after he came across a pic of mine in chudidhar. He called me up and asked me to screen-test for the character Sahaja. I was asked to enact two scenes, both of which are not part of the film though. I was asked to emote and my acting convinced him.
After 'Lut Gaye' and before 'Rangabali', I did land a lot of offers from both Telugu and Hindi cinema. I declined those offers because they were not convincing. Around that time, the covid-induced lockdown happened. I had to relocate to my hometown in Haryana for the time being. When I came back, too, nothing promising came my way. July 2022 is when 'Rangabali' came my way. A year later, it is hitting the cinemas.
When I met the director and the producer of 'Rangabali', I felt positive vibes. More than the script, the people made me accept the offer. I also heard good things about Naga Shaurya.
I am playing a diligent, sincere medical student named Sahaja in the movie. She doesn't like to speak much. She is calm and natural. She has got just one friend. She wants to study hard and do something concrete in life for the sake of her father. A sister of mine is a medico who lives in a hostel in Puducherry. Since I have observed her, I tried to use that awareness in playing the character. 'Rangabali' went on the floors in October last year. I worked on the movie for 30 working days.
Cracking the language barrier as a non-Telugu actor: I don't prefer cramming my lines and reproducing them in front of the camera. I ingest the lines to be able to emote better. I learn the meaning of my lines and what my co-actors are going to say in the scene. Our Co-Director was quite helpful. I wanted to dance but my character didn't demand that from me.
People watch Hindi-dubbed Telugu movies in Haryana. 'Pushpa' is quite a popular movie in my State. I really like Allu Arjun. I would like to work with him and would love to dance with him even though it is difficult to match up with him. Among actresses, I like Anushka Shetty and Kate Winslet.
As an outsider to the industry, I feel I have no pressure on my head. Insiders who have a legacy to carry come with baggage.
I am reading a lot of scripts. To be honest, I want to give the nod to a new project after the release of 'Rangabali'.
