Rashmika Mandanna, known for her diverse roles in Indian cinema, is stepping into the world of historical drama with her portrayal of Yesubai in the highly anticipated film ‘Chhaava’. In a candid conversation with ANI, the actress opened up about the challenges she faced in bringing the character of Yesubai, a revered figure in Maratha history, to life.
Rashmika revealed that portraying a real historical figure was a first for her. “This is the first time I am doing a character that already existed in history,” she said.
“For me, it was an incredible opportunity, as I’ve never done a biopic before. It was something entirely new to me. Every time I have done films before, I have created a character, but for the first time, I wasn’t creating a character - she is Yesubai. There’s nothing of Rashmika in her,” the ‘Pushpa’ star added.
Mandanna admitted that stepping into the shoes of a royal warrior queen was both thrilling and daunting. “I didn’t know how the Mahar would walk or talk or act. We’ve read about them, but we’ve never seen them,” she said.
Seeking guidance from director Laxman Utekar, she kept checking her portrayal to ensure it reflected the essence of the historical figure. “Laxman Sir took care of all of that, and luckily, I got the opportunity to work with him. I got to play a beautiful, graceful and strong character and today, I’m really proud of it,” she added.
One of Rashmika’s biggest hurdles was language, as Hindi is not her first language. Hailing from Coorg in South India, she found it challenging to deliver her lines in Hindi but mentioned that she worked hard to overcome this barrier.
“I consider myself a blank slate and I let the directors transform me,” she shared, adding, “The clothes, jewellery and set were all ready for me, so I just had to surrender to the director and give him what he wanted. And I was happy with what I did.”
Rashmika’s transformation also involved physically demanding costumes, with intricate saree draping and heavy jewellery becoming part of her daily routine. She explained, “Yes, there’s so much draping happening. I had to wear a saree from scratch daily, as I didn’t have a pre-draped saree. It was hectic because in the middle of the day if you needed to use the restroom, you had to remove everything. The jewellery was heavy, too, but we wanted to keep it as authentic as possible, so we used real gold jewellery. It was all heavy, but at the same time, that’s what brought the character to life.”
While there are no dance sequences in ‘Chhaava’, Rashmika highlighted the importance of the film’s music, noting that the songs serve as a score rather than traditional dance numbers.