'It was challenging to dance inside a cage'

Gandhinagar Grapevine

Actor Ragini Dwivedi likes being in the limelight. Especially when she is at her fittest best now, juggling between portraying varied characters. With multiple releases coming up, she is still looking out for challenges — the latest being a song sequence in ‘Uppu Hulli Khara’, where she is doing a contemporary ‘naagin’ dance.

 In a candid chat with Tini Sara Anien, the artiste talks about the challenges she faced during the song sequence and the varied acts lined up for this year.

Describe the song sequence in ‘Uppu Hulli Khara’.

Choreographer Imran Sardhariya is an old friend of mine and we had a record of dishing out some great hit songs. When he told me that he was directing the movie ‘Uppu Hulli Khara’ and wanted me to do a song for it, I agreed immediately. The song is a contemporary version of a ‘naagin’ song, which is styled differently. I love challenging myself. There was a lot of work involved in getting the right look for the song and it will be a mass entertainer.

Give us a sneak peek into your look...

It’s how a snake goddess would look in modern times; the look is of a new-age ‘naagin’. The makeup was done accordingly with scales on the face and the choreography is very different.

The challenges you faced during the making of the movie...

I almost died working for the song (Laughs). It has been a while since I did a song which is so crazy in terms of choreography. The song was shot in two days, while it usually takes four to five days to complete a song. We shot for 14 to 15 hours straight. Imran always encourages me to push my limits. I never thought I would do a ‘naagin’ dance and it was a mindblowing experience. It was challenging to dance inside a cage while hanging upside down.

How does the year ahead look for you?

It will be a brilliant year for me. I am back in form and I have really worked hard to lose all the weight I had gained. I feel good and I am also very happy that there are releases lined up back-to-back. My first release this year will be ‘Naane Next CM’ followed by ‘Kicchu’, ‘Huli Devara Kadu’ and ‘Gandhigiri’. There are also a couple of other projects lined up including films of some other languages. Apart from films, I also want to travel a lot and aim to become a certified scuba diver this year.

The secret behind a slimmer you...

It was a tedious process — the first three months were difficult. I am not a big foodie and I altered my lifestyle accordingly. While earlier I would have three to four meals a day, now I eat 10 to 12. Weight loss is a lifestyle change. (Smiles) I have a love-hate relationship with my trainer and dieticians, but I thank them from the bottom of my heart for sticking by me.

The different roles the audience will see you in...

(Smiles) I have always loved experimenting with characters. While I portray the common man’s voice in ‘Naane Next CM’ which deals with people’s problems, I play a coffee estate worker in ‘Kicchu’, which people are looking forward to seeing me in. In the psychological thriller ‘Huli Devara Kadu’, I am playing a dual role and in ‘Gandhigiri’, I am playing a school teacher.

Any role that you have always wanted to play...

(Laughs) I want to do a comedy film. No one ever offers me that. I think I have a decent sense of humour and I really want to work in a funny script. I also want to experiment with a negative character, like Shah Rukh Khan’s in ‘Don’.