Actor Raashii Khanna however says she is grateful that as an actor now, she can be an IAS officer as well as a politician on-screen.

Actor Raashii Khanna calls herself a “patriot by heart”, who has always felt a strong inclination towards serving her nation in various capacities. Talking to us on Independence Day, the actor expresses her unwavering love for her country and says that this sense of patriotism has been ingrained in her since childhood. “I’ve always been very patriotic and that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to be an IAS officer. I wanted to serve my country,” she reveals.

Raashi Khanna shares her favourite memories from Independence Day.
However, destiny had different plans and she ended up becoming an actor, for which she’s even more grateful “God’s plans were better than mine because now that I’m an actor, horizons have broaden. Now, I can be an IAS officer as well as a politician on-screen. What’s better than that,” quips Khanna, who shares being flattered seeing Kangana Ranaut’s performance as Indira Gandhi in the movie Emergency and would like to do something similar someday.

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Raashii Khanna will be seen in Yodha alongside Sidharth Malhotra.

When asked about films made on India’s independence and how well they depict the struggle of freedom fighters, the 32-year-old says she finds them nuanced enough from what she has watched so far. “No one has seen what happened back then (during the war). All of us only rely on the what has been written about those days. I know filmmakers do go an extra mile while making movies, but I do not think any fact manipulation has been there. So, in that way, it’s all good for me,” explains the actor, who will be seen in Yodha alongside Sidharth Malhotra.

Khanna’s favourite movie out of all the ones that have been made on India’s independence movement is The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002). “It’s always a celebration watching this film in theatres as well as at home on Independence day, and even otherwise,” she says, and goes on to share her fondest memory of childhood of Independence Day.

Raashii Khanna reveals her favourite patriotic song is Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon .

“I was part of the school choir and we used to sing patriotic songs for Independence Day functions. My favourite was Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon and it was always such a challenge to get it right because that beautiful song is sung by the late Lata Mangeshkar. Her voice is so good that we would always be like, ‘We will never get it right’. It was so difficult to get the notes correct,” recounts the Madras Cafe actor, who has primarily done Telugu language films.

Asked to share her idea of freedom and one thing she’d like to be free from this year, and Khanna says, “Freedom for me is when you are free of your mind…when it does not control you. All of us are jailed in our own thoughts, fears and insecurities. I’d like to get free from my fears, which mostly about losing my family and loved ones. I want to be entirely happy.”

As she wraps up, the actor urges everyone to come together and celebrate Independence Day beyond it being just a national holiday. “Your love towards the country should reflect in your actions. It has to be more in your walk than your talk. This emotion of patriotism should flow from your heart every day of the year. However, there is no harm in having a day to celebrate it. It let’s you collectively celebrate the efforts of our freedom fighters and pay them their due respect,” she ends.