Srinidhi Shetty: ‘I wouldn’t cross that line of getting too involved in a film’ | Telugu News

In a recent conversation with SCREEN, Srinidhi Shetty spoke about her Telusu Kada character Raaga and her interpretation of the role, as well as her experiences working with superstars and her dream roles. Edited excerpts:

It seems like you are playing someone quite identifiable and close to real-life in Telusu Kada (2025). What is it like to explore the character of Raaga, who perhaps is a first of her kind in your career so far?

Both Telusu Kada, the film, and playing Raaga have been a journey, almost an evolution for me. The other day, I was asked if Raaga and Srinidhi Shetty are similar in any way, and my answer was, “I don’t think so.” Raaga has her own baggage, and she doesn’t ever operate in a binary, in that she needn’t necessarily be in the black or white zones, but also be in the grey at times. Personally, I can’t stay in that grey area, and I have to be on either of the two extremes completely. So, it is fun to play someone like Raaga whose decisions you are questioning as an individual, but as an actor, you are also working on keeping the two personalities separated.

Did you get to fill the character with details and nuances of your own?

There were times when I portrayed Raaga the way I understood her and perhaps not the way the director imagined her. This would lead to us having conversations, and I got to discuss and justify my judgment in that moment. Raaga could react coldly in a particular situation, but I wouldn’t have been that way in real life, so there was definitely a chance to get to know her and tweak certain things. That said, the writer-director always views their characters within their own framework, and you can’t go overboard as an actor. It is Neeraja’s (Kona) story and vision at the end of the day, but I did get to contribute in whatever way I could to mould the character.

Would playing someone like Raaga be more exciting than the characters in a big-budget spectacle?

The situations you see in a larger-than-life film like K.G.F (two parts) do not happen around us at all, whereas Raaga comes from a real space. So, yes, and it is exciting to play someone like her. That said, I must tell you that I had a lot of liberty playing Reena (her character in the K.G.F films), and Prashanth Neel (their writer-director) had no qualms in letting me interpret her. There was a lot of scope for conversation regarding the pitch and tone of my performance, and that gave me a lot of confidence that my director has their trust in me.

Speaking of K.G.F, you have worked with major superstars like Yash and Chiyaan Vikram (Cobra (2022) in the initial part of your career. More recently, you have worked with actors like Nani, Siddu Jonnalagadda and Raashii Khanna, who feel a lot more relatable to the audience. What’s the difference in these two different types of collaboration?

By God’s grace, each of my four male co-stars so far has been very collaborative. Yes, both Yash and Vikram sir are huge stars – so is Nani, who has been around for so long – but neither of them saw me as a “newcomer”. Once we broke the ice, the work equation became very pleasant amongst all my co-stars: the way I worked with Siddu, that’s exactly how things unfolded with the other actors as well, wherein I was able to pitch in for a scene with my ideas. Of course, a lot of the films don’t offer much for the female leads as opposed to the male leads, who get to work with the director to shape the films or their characters. I wouldn’t cross that line of getting too involved, but within my own realm, I have had great freedom to express so far.

The director of Telusu Kada, Neeraja Kona, has been a costume designer and stylist in the film industry for many years. Is there any difference in how she approaches the craft of filmmaking?

She (Neeraja Kona) would certainly be the right person to answer the question, but from what I experienced, Telusu Kada was a solid learning ground for her. This stint allowed her to pick up new knowledge along the way – from cinematography to other facets of the game – while also bringing a story to life. However, she has worked on film sets for a really long time, and is aware of what other departments entail. There is the same level of passion and clarity as everyone else, but the biggest skill a film director needs to have is people management, and Neeraja held her ground very well there. Especially as a woman filmmaker, working in a predominantly male-led environment, she was able to handle each department really well, and was generally open to a collaborative atmosphere. This is my first experience with a woman filmmaker, and although gender doesn’t play any role in how a film is made, one still senses a different kind of sensitivity and gaze towards their work.

Would this mean Raaga is your best-styled character to date?

(Laughs) I am very biased there, in that I love each character’s look and costumes. But I can tell you this much that I have had the most number of costume changes in Telusu Kada so far. The styling of Raaga is quite different from all my previous films with a bangs hairstyle and an overall most vibrant, western range of attire. So, I will hand it to Neeraja, because you will get to see a different Srinidhi here.

It’s probably too early to say that you belong to the Telugu Industry. But given how many actors are drawn to it, what do you suppose is unique about it?

With regards to star-driven vehicles or content-oriented films, I feel all industries work the same way. We have hero-centric films, huge fandoms, etc., existing in the same way everywhere. One added feature in the Telugu industry, though, is their welcoming and accepting nature. I am very proud and happy about the fact that a Kannada film like K.G.F has got me this kind of love from all over the country – Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam industries, too, have been incredibly warm in their reception, and this happened even before I had signed on to anything after K.G.F 2 (2022). HIT 3 (2025) just added to that joy because I sensed the audience being happy about the fact that I am doing a Telugu original, that too alongside Nani.

Are you waiting for something credible to come your way in Kannada? Have you been listening to scripts and stories here?

Yes, I have been. I have also said this many times that I need a Kannada film in tandem with my other work, and I am always looking forward to doing a Kannada film. It’s just the wait for things to fall properly in place. I did have a Kannada film announced a couple of years ago alongside (Kichcha) Sudeep sir, but that project didn’t take off because of certain creative calls.

You said recently that you prefer quality over quantity as far as picking films is concerned. Can you tell me a little bit about your journey as an actor, particularly after having begun with the incredibly successful and overwhelming K.G.F series?

I’d like to correct you here, because it shouldn’t seem like I began to pick quality over quantity after I finished the K.G.F. films. On the contrary, I have held on to that principle since the beginning, since I signed K.G.F in October 2016. I got a lot of offers right after my casting announcement was made, but I made a conscious choice to work on a film only if I liked the opportunity. Yes, I would have loved the number of films in the meantime to have been higher, and I would love to take up as many projects as I can. It comes down to my instincts at the end of the day, and the results don’t matter as long as I feel happy about working on a film.

How have those instincts evolved with time?

I have prioritised a good story and character over everything else, from the very beginning. But I have also grown to tweak that approach over the years, because certain opportunities allow you to work with directors or actors that you don’t want to miss out on, even if the character I play isn’t as significant to the story. It’s about taking the onus for your own choices and if I were to look back at my filmography a few years later, I know that I picked all those roles because of those instincts of mine.

Your role as Reena in the K.G.F films was loved and appreciated. Yet, one might say that she doesn’t get to contribute to the story as much as the rest of the main cast does. Do you walk away with the same thought?

As an artiste, I am sure everyone’s a bit greedy, wanting bigger parts for themselves. But about Reena, I can tell you that Prashanth Neel had pitched the exact same scope of the character to me as you see in the final film. Had the part and its screen time/significance been exaggerated to me during the narration, it would have pinched me later, feeling that I didn’t get what was offered to me. The beauty is the clarity with which Prashanth sir made the film – he knew all along the importance of Reena, the mother’s character, Adheera, etc., from the very beginning, and apart from the scale of the second instalment, it is amazing that his story and vision have remained intact. That’s why the films resonate so much.

Finally, is there a film or performance from recent times that really impressed you? Perhaps making you wish to attempt something like that.

I am sure there are many films, but the one at the top of my head is Hemanth M. Rao’s Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (2022). It would be a wonderful opportunity for an artiste to portray roles with such an array of emotions, depth in personality, arc, etc. I would love to be part of such intense dramas.