Raashi Khanna will be seen next in Imaikkaa Nodigal.

When Raashi Khanna was called to audition for her debut film Madras Cafe, she ran away from it. “I was too scared. I wondered why they would choose me as I didn’t know much about cinema. It came to a point where the casting director had to directly call me and persuade me with a separate slot, in case I was too shy,” recalls Raashi. She did give the audition and a week later, the young actor got a call saying that she had bagged the role. “I don’t know how, maybe I just had it in me. When I saw myself for the first time and saw how people laugh or cry for my character, I realised that this is the best profession to be in. One has to be honest to the character.”

Her Bollywood debut caught the eye of the makers of Telugu film Oohalu Gusagusalade. The actor entered the Telugu film industry without knowing the language. “Learning Telugu was scary. I had a friend who knew Telugu and my director was good with Hindi. I used to get my lines translated into Hindi as they made more sense. There was a lot of rehearsal and prep before a film,” says Raashi.