Ridhi Dogra, in a new interview, shared that she was initially apprehensive about playing Shah Rukh Khan’s mother in Atlee’s Jawan. However, she took it up as a challenge.
Ridhi Dogra is on cloud nine as her latest release, Shah Rukh Khan starrer Jawan on a record-breaking spree at the box office. The actress essayed the role of King Khan’s character Azaad’s adoptive mother in the action entertainer which also features Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi in pivotal roles.
Recently, in a chat with India Today, Ridhi admitted that she was initially apprehensive about taking up this role. However, she decided to take it up as a challenge and grabbed the opportunity.
The Asur actress told the publication, “I’ll be honest, I was very nervous about taking this up, but I didn’t know any better. I didn’t understand if I should do it, or I should not do it. The only thing I saw in it was that it was challenging for me. That’s the only thing that pushed me to do it.”
Ridhi shared that she was shooting for web series where she had ‘significant roles’ when she was offered the role of Kaveri.
“For me, I am a student of cinema and so, when I was told that Atlee wanted to meet me, it was a huge thing. They had started shooting back then. I remember when Atlee called me on set, SRK was on the floor, shooting. For me, the fact that a director of his stature took out time to meet me was huge,” the actress continued.
She said that she was ‘shocked and nervous’ when the Mersal director asked her to meet urgently. However, she found him to be ‘very sweet, chilled out and easy to talk to’.
Ridhi shared that she initially turned down the role because she was ‘in two minds’ about playing a mother on screen to Shah Rukh Khan. However, she got convinced when Atlee connected with her again and took it up as a challenge.
“Atlee told me about the role, but it was a brief idea, so I contemplated it. I said no first to playing a mother onscreen because I love Shah Rukh Khan so much and was in two minds about this. I mean ‘it’s SRK’. But then, when Atlee called me to meet again, I was convinced about their process. Everyone wants to look beautiful in the quintessential way; starlet, fashionista, but I am also an actor. So, I took playing a mother as a challenge and wanted to take it up,” the actress told the portal.
She also revealed that Atlee warned her that her character might turn into a meme and told her to be ready for it.
Elaborating on it, she said, “Atlee told me that my character might become a meme. Be prepared. That is what filmmaking is. You have got to take risks. In my own small way, I took my risk. This was a huge risk for me. I was very anxious throughout the shoot. Will this be the right decision? I have to give it to Atlee, he presented the character really well and justified it. It was all in his head.”
Jawan is currently running successfully in theatres.
