‘Glad that Filmmakers trust me with complex characters’

CHENNAI: Vedhika has her hands full this year and she squeezes in time to talk to us in the middle of her busy shooting schedule. She has Petta Rap in Tamil with Prabhudeva, Razakar, Fear and an OTT show in Telugu, Gana in Kannada. “I also have completed another bilingual project, titled Jungle. There is also Mahal in Tamil. My Kannada film Gana, is unique. It is set in the 90s and has me in a unique look. Apart from that my other films too all are different from one another and have me in different character arcs. I attribute it to all the good work I have done previously as I believe that good work will fetch more good work,” says Vedhika.

The long-term success wasn’t achieved over a film or two. She is known to strike a fine balance between commercial and offbeat films. Vedhika took the audience by storm with roles like Angamma in Paradesi and Ganakokilam Vadivambal in Kaaviya Thalaivan. She also put a smile on face by playing Brinda in a commercial entertainer like Kaalai and as Sathyabhama in Shivalinga. “The industry has known me as a good dancer, who can shake a leg to peppy as well as classical numbers.” she says and modestly adds, “I guess filmmakers believe that I am a good performer too and they put their faith in me when it comes to complex characters. I can only say that I am lucky that I could do both kinds of films. There is a lot of responsibility that comes with it. I do a lot of homework before I face the camera. I can’t wake up and be like what’s the scene for today. It doesn’t work that way.”

Vedhika will also foray into the OTT space in Telugu. “This is one of the most challenging works of mine. This comes from a huge production house in Telugu, where I shoulder this entire show in the lead role,” says the actor. She looks back and looks ahead saying that she chooses which project she should be a part of, sometimes with intuition and most of the time with what the role has for her on the table. “ These are all intertwined with another. A good team brings you a good script and a good script will have the scope to perform-- an organic process. Once I select a good script or a good team rest will fall in place. That is how my current film, Fear, happened to me. Also the OTT show had everything on the platter. It has a good concept with a good team on one of the leading OTT platforms,” states the award-winning actor.

Vedhika went on a brief hiatus during lockdown. However, she explains that she needed that to improvise and gauge what the audience would need from her to sustain her continuous run. “I was waiting for the right kind of projects and to see the results of work that I have already done. I have done my fair share of work and I wanted to see how it resonates with the audience. I don’t see the break as a risk or a gamble I took because I commit to a project only if I think it is good and worth it. I don’t sign a project if it is something I cannot be proud about,” she explains.