PremiumVedhika: Yakshini is my OTT debut, which I took up because I headline it
Vedhika plays the title character Yakshini, Maya, who is banished to earth and has to find a way back to her world in the 6-episode show.
Last Updated: 10.15 PM, Jun 11, 2024
Actress Vedhika’s social media, for quite some time now, has mostly been about her airport looks, which, she says, is because she has been busy jet-setting between cities on work. This, of course, means that she is in a very happy space as far as her career goes. “If I am shooting, I can’t reveal the look and if I have a couple of days off from work, I don’t like dressing up. So, the only time I get a chance to shoot something is when I am traveling to the airport,” she says.
The actress had a release earlier this year with Razakar and is now gearing up for her OTT debut with the Telugu-original web series Yakshini, which is coming to Disney+Hotstar on June 14. “I am making my OTT debut with Yakshini, which is coming out in multiple languages. Over the last few years, I have had offers for web shows, but what drew me to it is that I am headlining it – I am in the title role and it is produced by Arka Media, who backed Baahubali. I have done enough movies and I figured this will give me a changeover, as well as a larger canvas to elaborate on a character – the mission, where they come from, what they want to, etc. There is so much more to play with, be creative and establish them well. It is a great medium to connect with you audience,” says Vedhika about taking up Yakshini.
Yakshini is a fantasy drama and family entertainer, with minor elements of mythology, says the actress. “In folklore, Yakshinis are beautiful spirits who are temple guards. In this story, which is fictional, I am Maya, a Yakshini who has been banished by Lord Kubera from her world – Alkapuri – and sent down to earth. She has to undo the wrong she did. What she does to go back to her world is the gist of the story,” adds Vedhika.
The fact that the story centred on a Yakshini and not an apsara is what the actress found intriguing. “Maya is, no doubt, a sensuous being, but Yakshini is not an adult-content series. She uses her beauty to get what she wants, but there’s more to the story. This was the most challenging role of my career so far. The trailer does not reveal half of what I had to do, so as not to reveal too much about the plot. It has given me immense scope for performance, by giving the character different shades and even indulging in a bit of action. There was also dance and the fact that I got to try different looks. It was an amazing experience playing Maya,” she says.