Rajie Vijay Sarathy to play an important role in Kabir Khan’s 83

What has got the city buzzing is her role in the much-awaited Kabir Khan film 83, which is set to release next year. The film is about Kapil Dev leading the Indian cricket team to win the very first World Cup for the country and it has a stellar cast featuring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Saqib Salim and south star Jiiva playing Krish Srikanth. Shooting is underway in England and every day, we look to see what little morsel of information we can learn about the film. I got a call with Rajie after a hectic day of shoot and she sounded incredibly energised because she says working with director Kabir Khan is wonderful. She raves about Kabir’s mastery over the craft and his clarity. He is often referred to as a very cultured gentleman who made the sets a very comfortable work environment for everyone.

She auditioned for the role and credits Manoj Krishna for the opportunity who also got her the role in Enthiran which was noticed by many. She talks about managing butterflies before auditions and her excitement on being part of a film of this magnitude. Ranveer Singh’s infectious energy and enthusiasm is something that Rajie tells me about. Ranveer has even mentioned to her that she has lovely dimples very similar to that of his wife. Can we just take a moment to appreciate Ranveer’s comment? She plays a south Indian mami in this film and for once it’s safe to say that it will be a realistic representation and won’t be caricatured. She also tells me that many will relate to her character.

This is her second Hindi film and she says conversing in Hindi with her husband, who grew up in Delhi, over the years has been of great help when it comes to acting in the language. She also surprised other actors and the director with her knowledge of cricket as she is a former cricketer who has represented Karnataka state and south zone. Her husband and daughter-actor Sanjana Sarathy are equally mad about cricket.