Song with Chiru Sir is a dream: Rashmi Gautam

Rashmi Gautam could not have dreamt of a better first special song — she’s pairing with Megastar Chiranjeevi in his upcoming film, Bhola Shankar.
The actress, who has commenced shooting for her part, is full of excitement.

The film’s director Meher Ramesh had approached her and said there was an opportunity to perform alongside Chiranjeevi in a special number in Bhola Shankar. “I did not even wait for him to complete the conversation; the moment he said Chiru Sir, I just said okay and jumped with joy,” beams Rashmi.

However, Rashmi doesn’t want to call the track a ‘special song’; she would rather describe it as an ‘entertaining one’. “That’s because when you groove opposite Chiru Sir, the song gets elevated,” she explains, adding that the number involves a lot of grooving. “It’s going to be an absolute mass masala number,” she reveals, and says she’s sure it will be an instant chartbuster.

Though she had rehearsed a lot, when she started jigging alongside Chiru, she felt nervous, considering that he’s called the ‘King of Grace’ and is known for wrapping up such dance moments in a single shot, she shares.

However, Rashmi says the Megastar understood her anxiety and made it a point to break the ice with her on the first day. “He appreciated my compering skills. It’s been a pleasure working with him,” Rashmi reveals. She says she had told Chiru that her favourite song was Endi Bey Ettaga Vundi Vollu from Gharana Mogudu (1992). “It was beyond a ‘fan girl’ moment because he’s a legendary actor we have grown up watching. And to share the screen with him is a dream,” she says.

The Guntur Talkies star, who has been juggling television and the silver screen, seems to have slowed down on signing films recently. She says she wasn’t able to get any exciting scripts, as, after Covid-19, things seem to be chaotic.

“Most filmmakers want to release their films in theatres. But there’s still a dilemma over the kind of budgets to be allocated to a theatrical release and OTT release. This is a transition phase and a challenge for small and budget films,” Rashmi feels, and hopes the confusion will end soon, and she can sign films as a lead actor.

Commenting that the psychological state of actors isn’t the best, she says, “There are apprehensions whether films will be completed or whether the third wave [of the pandemic] will happen”, she says and adds that she herself hasn’t completed shooting for films which she had signed before the pandemic struck.