Five years is too long, I want to break free of 'Dia': Actor Kushee Ravi

Kannada actor Kushee Ravi said she is hoping that her character Jaji will finally release her from the 'Dia' spell. Ravi played Dia, the titular character of a 2020 Kannada film that became a sleeper hit. For an introvert, Dia managed to burrow herself so deep into people's conscience that Ravi said she is identified as Dia even now. "I really want to come out of that Dia box. It is endearing and all, but five years is long enough," Ravi told PTI.

Since 'Dia', Ravi has acted in a couple of Telugu horror films as well.
Jaji, she said, is a different vibe. "She is timid and naive but is also very curious. The series is set in the 1990s, so in many ways she is your regular housewife from that era," said Ravi.
Ravi believes it is Jaji's naivety that may endear herself to the audience.
'Ayyana Mane', billed as a "super-natural murder mystery", is the first original Kannada mini-series to be commissioned by a streaming platform. It will stream from April 25 on Zee5.
Set in the misty hills of Chikkamagaluru, the story follows Jaji, the new bride, as she discovers the secrets of the powerful Ayyana Mane family that she is married into.
Her idyllic life turns into a nightmare when she realises that all the three daughters-in-law of the house have mysteriously died and that each death was linked to the family's deity, Kondayya.
Jaji finds herself navigating whispers of curses, eerie coincidences, and dark traditions, and as the story unfolds further, something more sinister.
The series is a big deal for the Kannada industry, which is struggling to get a streaming platform for its content, said Ravi.
"So, I am really, really looking forward to it, in more than one way," said Ravi.
Although acting in a miniseries is no different, the process was very different, said Ravi, who began her acting career with theatre productions.
"For instance, for 'Dia', we rehearsed for nearly two months. Director K S Ashoka was very particular that I stay in the character even during shooting breaks," said Ravi.
With 'Ayyana Mane', the script evolved every day, and she was required to learn her lines overnight.
"It helped that I am a director's actor. So, when director Ramesh Indira told me this is how it will be, I could do what he asked me to without much problem," said Ravi.
She did prep though, added Ravi. She watched films from the 1990s, mostly films by actor Sudha Rani, to understand the body language of women in that era, she said.
"I was born in the 1990s, so obviously I needed to make an attempt to understand the mindset of women then," said Ravi.
Ravi said she managed to crack Jaji from day one. "From what I understand, 90s women mostly submitted themselves to what is expected of them. Mostly they took what life offered them without any complaint. You could see that in Jaji too in the way she walks, the way she holds herself and the way her shoulder droops," said Ravi.
But if there is one thing that 'Dia' taught her, it is never to underestimate the power of a quiet woman.
"When we were shooting for 'Dia', to be honest, I used to think who would come to theatres to watch this woman, who internalised everything. But I realised if you build a character earnestly, people will fall for it, even if they are withdrawn or naive. So, yeah, waiting to see how people will react to Jaji," added Ravi.