''I am in awe of Balaji Sakthivel'' - Sruthi

After the critically acclaimed Vazhakku Enn 18/9, director Balaji Sakthivel is working in his film titled Ra Ra Rajasekhar (RRR) being produced by Thirrupathi Brothers.

The film has art director Vijaimurugan doing an important role after Golisoda and Madhivannan as the hero. Sruthi Hariharan of Lucia and Nerungi Vaa Muthamidathey fame has joined the team as one of the lady leads, with the other lead being Subiksha.

Sharing her experience working in the film to behindwoods, Sruthi Hariharan reveals how she came on board RRR. “Cinematographer of RRR, Siddharth Nuni, had worked in Lucia and when RRR began a year back, he suggested that I go for audition but I could not commit due to date issues in Kannada and I lost the project. I was very sad as I had missed a Balaji Sakthivel film. Somehow, call it luck or fate, a year later, I got the opportunity back. This time around, I did not want to lose the chance. I spoke to the team and asked them to wait for a week as I was shooting abroad. They waited for me before the schedule began and I am really grateful to them for that. I got back, auditioned, got through and joined the shoots within three days”.

Working with Balaji Sakthivel was an all new experience for Sruthi who says, “When you are working with a director like Balaji Sakthivel who has a clear vision of what he wants, you can’t go prepared. I am someone who goes to the sets prepared as my first language of expression is English and not Tamil or Kannada. Therefore I go to the sets ready with my lines. Here Balaji sir did not want me to be prepared coming to the sets. This really scared me initially but eventually I figured out that there is magic in that; magic of the moment when you completely trust the director. And he takes you on his trip which was one amazing experience. I realized THAT magic in one particular scene which I will not reveal now. You will realize that when you watch the film”.

Sruthi furthers, “Balaji Sakthivel handles drama with subtlety and those are two words that don’t go together. He deals with these two with a lot of realism and it comes out beautiful. That was something that I was absolutely in awe of”.

Sruthi plays a rural girl in RRR and incidentally it is her 5^th film (in all the languages that she has worked) where she plays a girl with a village background. She admits that she has a very typical Indian woman face and that must be the reason that directors offer her such roles with a lot of scope for performance. 

RRR is a film about society and societal issues and the shoot is almost over and there is just a week left for the wrap up. The film is looking for a quick release in the coming months. 

Wishing you all the best Sruthi and also for the team of Ra Ra Rajasekhar!