Exclusive! Aarushi Verma: Saakini Daakini is a perfect concept-oriented film for OTT viewing

Aarushi Verma wasn’t just another college-going girl in Delhi when she was offered her first-ever acting offer - the Telugu film Saakini Daakini. She always strived to build her own identity early in life, be it through her travels across the globe, taking up part-time jobs in her first year of college at Lady Shri Ram College and surviving on her own budget.

The youngster says she was ready for life much earlier than the counterparts of her age. As much as she’s excited about her debut, she looks prepared to handle the harsh ways of the industry. After the theatrical run of her first feature, an action-comedy helmed by Sudheer Varma, she’s kicked about its OTT premiere on Netflix.

In a chat with OTTplay.com, Aarushi takes us through her eventful tryst with cinema, Saakini Daakini, independent existence and more.

The joy of watching oneself on the big screen for the first time:

It feels great that I got this offer in the final year of college and that I was launched by two prestigious banners under the direction of Sudheer Varma (sir). Being a North-Indian girl with little knowledge of the cinema being made here, it was gratifying to have a formidable launchpad and receive positive feedback from one and all.

A few days ago, I happened to watch the film at a full theatre and to watch audiences clap, hoot and whistle for something that I’m a part of, was surreal. Honestly, I was more nervous than excited about how the industry would receive my character.

If there was a worry about entering films quickly without enough worldly experience, maturity:

I didn’t feel like I was taking a jump at it too quickly because I went for acting classes in Delhi and from NSD. I have travelled across the globe, experienced life in Europe and felt I was mature enough for this leap. I started working in the very first year of my college, took up modelling gigs and wanted to be independent, from a very young age.

I was keen to make my own money, live on my budget and stopped living the pampered life early. Even in school, I was the head girl, got good grades and have been very ambitious all along. I had real-life experiences at a very young age and was looking forward to this launch for a couple of years.

On the fascination behind donning the greasepaint:

The best part of acting is that you get to play different characters, understand diverse personalities on screen. You get to live a certain life in someone else’s shoes in front of the camera - I think it’s beautiful. It would be boring to live life like Aarushi all the time. In Saakini Daakini, Regina and Nivetha get to perform such exciting roles as police officers fighting the rot in society. I would also want to do that. I don’t want to do films just because I seek fame or want to be pretty on-screen.

Being a model, actress from an early age and being judged for her looks:

People are going to judge you no matter what you try to do. I have been in the public eye for a while and we can’t stop them from talking. Even if you’re beautiful or confident, people will mock you if you even don’t speak English well. There will be a lot that’ll be the wind beneath your wings and another lot that’ll pull you down the next moment. It’s all about being comfortable, confident and being yourself. I was one among the audience till recently and I want people to identify me as one among them by being real.

Handling rejections and hearing the magical words ‘you are in’:

Rejections have been a part of my life for long and so many casting directors have turned me down claiming that I may look too young alongside the hero. I always felt that they could have their ways to project my character and cast me in the film. Looking young can be a curse sometimes and I had to hear ‘no’ for that in these years.

Even with Saakini Daakini, I play a key role but not the lead. I am trying to figure a way out to get work. I can’t change the way I look, turn into someone who’s five years older and transform overnight. I have accepted myself fully and want to prove that I’m a good performer first. An actor can defy all barriers when they perform a part - it just needs the right pair of eyes to recognise it.

With Saakini Daakini, the makers were exactly looking for a girl who could be cast as a 16-18-year-old. When I sent my profile across, they called me for an audition and I made it. I finally found a role where I would fit comfortably, even if it wasn’t a conventional heroine. A yes came to me after a very long time and it was a validation that I was going in the right direction.

On the Saakini Daakini experience educating her about the ways of human traffickers and medical scams:

Saakini Daakini throws light on a scam that’s almost unheard of, in India, though people back in Korea are familiar with it. It’s scary to think of girls being given fertilisation injections so that they ovulate more than once a month and these eggs are sold to fertility clinics in the name of IVF. While the doctors inform parents that the money goes to the girls to fund their education, people aren’t aware of the fact that they are abducted, and forcefully given injections under inhuman conditions.

I was initially unsure if Indian audiences would understand it and even be willing to accept it. It was a new concept and offers something fresh to viewers. South Indian cinema has always been ahead of the game on that front. With Sudheer’s vision, I was sure that it would be portrayed sensitively to audiences in a way they comprehend.

Major takeaways and lessons from the debut:

The significant takeaway for me from this experience is the need to learn my dialogues well. When you come prepared with your lines, you express your emotions better. After performing a scene, I want to make it a point to look at the monitor and see how it has shaped up. It’ll help me perform my next scene better and understand the angles, and framing better. I couldn’t do this in Saakini Daakini and I wish I had seen the monitor frequently.

On being accepted in a new language and a region far away from your bastion:

During Saakini Daakini, I never felt like I was alien to the set or the language. The people accepted me and made me feel very comfortable. At the end of the day, we’re all similar people with similar emotions belonging to the same country. South Indian industry belongs to one entity called Indian cinema. Nothing changed on the set because I was North Indian; every day, I was respected, and given due importance. I was given extra care because I was new to the city, it was a nice gesture.

On her next project, a web show after Saakini Daakini:

It was genuinely a surprise I received during the shoot of Saakini Daakini and I am not allowed to speak a lot about it, the show is still being developed. It is coming out beautifully and it gives me great satisfaction to be part of a good product, waiting to know what people have to say about me. While they may not have an opinion about me with Saakini Daakini yet, these projects will give them a chance to look at me for what I am.

The optimism about Saakini Daakini’s OTT release:

Now that Saakini Daakini is available on Netflix and so many people will have access to it in the comfort of their homes, I feel the film will get all the love it richly deserves. I feel the film will do well on OTT; it has all the trappings of a perfect concept-oriented film that makes for a comfy watch. The acceptance for the film in theatres was the icing on the cake.

(Starring Nivetha Thomas, Regina Cassandra, Aarushi Verma, Kabir Duhan Singh, Saakini Daakini is now streaming on Netflix)