Completing one decade and 50 films in five different languages, sharing screen space with the likes of Ajith, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Lawrence, and Balakrishna, and being still in demand when it comes to glamour roles is itself an awesome achievement.
Yes, it’s Raai Laxmi, who is making her debut as the lead protagonist in Julie 2, directed by Shivdasani, which is her 50th movie.
The teaser of the film, in which she flaunts her perfect body, sporting a bikini, released on Tuesday has created quite a stir.
In an exclusive, Laxmi tells DC that Julie 2 is a milestone film in her career, which will also prove that she is an actress of substance and also recounts her film journey in the last 10 years.
“It’s a special feeling! I have seen hits and flops in my career graph and I take it in my own stride. Although I have completed 50 films in multiple languages, I feel my responsibilities are mounting. I consider each film as my first film. I am new to Bollywood and I have the same jitters, fear and lot more pressure as if I am a newcomer. Holding an identity where you are recognized in one part of cinema and now in Hindi, it is all the more a challenge. And nothing could have been better than Julie 2 for my B’town debut ,” Raai Laxmi begins.
On Julie, she asserts, “Julie 2 is a hard-hitting thriller. It’s about a naïve girl from a broken family who turns an actress one day and the struggles and hardship she undergoes in her transformation, which makes her a gritty woman, forms the crux. I do agree that there’s lot of glamour, skin show and lust in the film, but all the same it has a good content as well. It is gratifying when I dubbed with my own voice in Hindi.”
She had to put on weight as the director wanted to project her journey from a normal girl to a star. Gaining weight was easy, but losing wasn’t. She had 35 trainers across India tutoring her at different levels. On her bikini act, she says, “I am not open to wearing a bikini though I have appeared in semi-bikini scenes. But in Julie 2, the script demanded it and I was convinced. There’s nothing wrong in sporting a bikini as long as you have a great body. Moreover, it is shot aesthetically and not for cheap thrills.”
Her future movies include a female-centric snake genre in Tamil and a Malayalam film with Mammootty. “I will start working on other movies after Julie 2 releases in October,” she signs off.
