Rukmini Vasanth says playing the villain in Kantara Chapter 1 was ‘terrifying’ but rewarding

Rukmini Vasanth

• Rukmini Vasanth found playing a villain in Kantara: Chapter 1 initially scary.
• She received praise for her versatile performance, easing her career anxieties
• Her role in Kantara boosted her confidence and encouraged creative risks

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Actress Rukmini Vasanth, who gained widespread praise for her antagonist role as Kanakavathi in the Kannada blockbuster Kantara: Chapter 1, recently spoke candidly about how terrifying it was to take on a villainous role at an early stage of her career.

Remembering the time she got to know about the role she said, “It was quite a difficult decision at that point. Kantara was a really exciting film to even be offered, obviously. Rishab Shetty sir called me about it, and I was over the moon. Then he said ‘by the way, you are the bad guy!’ I felt overwhelmed as there are pre conceived notions you hear around you."

She further added, “It’s not like anyone consciously tells you ‘you don’t do this kind of roles’ or ‘do only this kind of role’… but you hear that one should always stay in a particular kind of zone. So it felt little stressful," she added.

Despite those initial concerns, the audience and critical response to her performance has been overwhelmingly positive “To kind of step out of that (stress) and decide ‘This is an integral project, I would like to be involved in whatever capacity, even if it’s the antagonist’… that step was terrifying before it was taken," she said. She admitted that the doubts resurfaced closer to the film’s release. “And then I didn’t think about it anymore for a year, until we got closer to the time of release where those anxieties popped up again. Yes, it had made me a much better human, experienced actor, but is this going to affect the rest of my work?"

Reflecting on the response, she said audiences focused on her versatility she said, “People were appreciating the fact that female actors can take on films and roles with multiple shades. That has been very encouraging. Once the audience likes it, you don’t need to stress that much."

Rukmini, whose casting in Yash’s upcoming film Toxic was recently confirmed after months of speculation, says the experience ultimately boosted her confidence as an actor and reaffirmed her faith in taking creative risks.