Actress Rashmika Mandana is playing the role of Maharani Yesubai Bhosale, the wife of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in the film 'Chhawa'. Playing the role of a Marathi queen was not just an opportunity for Rashmika, but a dream. Recently, during a conversation with Frontpage Insights, Rashmika said that her dream was to see herself in the role of a queen, which was fulfilled by 'Chhaava'. Rashmika spent 3-4 hours a day learning the language for five months for this character.
'It was a dream to play a queen' Rashmika said, I have worked very hard for this film. But this is what I always wanted. Ever since I dreamed of becoming an actor, I wanted to act in such a historical film. The magnificence of our history, traditions and culture has always fascinated me. Working in a film like 'Chhava' is a dream come true for me. I always dreamed of finding myself in a royal world, as a queen, amidst royal palaces, spectacular dance and history. I was very excited when this film came to me.
Laxman Utekar sir's vision alone made it special. While narrating the story to me for the first time, he told me that he wanted to see me as a Maharashtrian queen. My looks, my facial features – everything was perfect for this character. This is a film that will make you feel proud. It is not only gorgeous but also heart touching.
Learned the language for five months About the preparation of the character, the actress further said, the biggest preparation was about the language. Hindi is not my mother tongue. The language is not familiar to me but forced to learn it for my listeners. Then when you have to play the queen, you have to master everything – the moves, the speech, the style – everything. I worked for three to four hours every day for the dialogues. This routine lasted for five months. I learned every word, every sentence as if it were my own language. For me, it was not just about playing the character, but trying to live the soul of the character. During this time I also learned that language is not only made of words but also of feelings.
Laxman Sir used to say, 'When people hear you, they will forget whether you come from the South or the North. They will only remember your character. 'Chhawa' has been my most strenuous journey so far. This is not just a film, but a dream come true for me.
Every day on the set with Salman Khan was memorable Rashmika is also in the movie 'Sikandar' with Salman Khan. He shared his experience of working with the actor and said, Working with Salman Khan… what can I say. This is a very special opportunity in my career. Every day on set was a memorable moment. Salman sir is the sweetest and humblest person. The atmosphere automatically becomes light and fun when he is on set. It is not only an honor to work with him, but also a lot to learn from spending time with him.
When I came to know that I am doing a film with Salman, I was very nervous but Salman sir's magic is such that makes everyone comfortable instantly. Working with him is not only an experience, but one of those memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
A series of hit films Rashmika has been giving consecutive hits like 'Pushpa 1', 'Animal' and 'Pushpa 2' in the last three years. Regarding this he said, 'The end of the year is always celebrated but the real journey is a whole year's hard work. For every film we think about how people will enjoy it and whether they will celebrate it. The last three years were full of hard work. Each day was spent in understanding the character, facing difficult situations and challenges.
When films become hits, one realizes that all this hard work went in the right direction. I choose my films with heart. I attach myself to each character, because my personality is the most important to me.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
