KGF was a dream project: Srinidhi

Actress says she has no qualms about being called a “flowerpot” in her 2018 debut film

Mumbai: South actor Srinidhi Shetty says she has no qualms about being called a “flowerpot” in her 2018 debut film “KGF: Chapter 1” as she knew about the length of her role in the superhit Kannada film franchise right from the outset.

In the “KGF” franchise, directed by Prashanth Neel, the actor played the headstrong Reena Desai opposite lead star Yash’s towering Rocky. It was produced by Hombale Films.

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“I didn’t mind being a flowerpot in ‘KGF’ because that was like a dream project for me when it came, not because of how it would happen. When I heard the story, I knew my role is only this much, but I wanted to do it, I wanted my first movie to be that. But again, it’s an individual choice. Some people would love to be a flowerpot, some people wouldn’t,” Shetty said in an interview.

“Now, if you ask me, would you be a flowerpot in the next few movies? I’ll take my time and think if I want to or not. I’ll see who’s doing (the film), how much (important) is the flowerpot… The first one was my conscious choice. But, there’s nothing bad, right, wrong, etc (in it). It’s fine, there are no calculations,” she added.

The 32-year-old actor, who later appeared alongside Tamil superstar Vikram in the 2022 action-thriller “Cobra”, attributed her popularity to the “KGF” films. “The amount of fame or love I have gained is because of ‘KGF’, there is no two ways about it. Probably it did not convert into work that maybe I would have thought it would have, but that did not happen.

“But the three things that I have: name, fame, and love is because of ‘KGF’. It takes its own pace and time, and I even take time to choose what I want and what I do not want to do. Having said that, the success of the movie did not change me as a person. I’m still the same.”

Shetty is looking forward to the release of “HIT: The Third Case”, fronted by Telugu star Nani. She plays Mrudula in the action thriller, directed by Sailesh Kolanu. Nani said Shetty’s character in “HIT 3” is not merely a supporting role. “Mrudula is a flowerpot, but it is not a flowerpot role. I can only tell you this much as of now,” he said.

Shetty, who hails from Karnataka, recalled meeting Nani at the muhurat pooja of her another film “Telusu Kada”, directed by Neeraja Kona, and little did she know they would eventually work in the “HIT” franchise.

“I went to that pooja and they (Kona and Nani) are best friends, so he was there. I’ve been seeing his (Nani) movies, and people from Karnataka love him, his simplicity, and humility; we relate to him.

“On behalf of my Karnataka people, I wanted to tell him that, ‘We love you, we are looking forward to your movies’. I was like a happy puppy. I walked up to him and I was like, ‘Hi Nani, this is Srinidhi and we love you and your work and blah, blah, blah’,” Shetty recalled.

When it was time to cast the female lead for “HIT 3”, Nani said both he and the director felt that Shetty was the ideal choice. “Sailesh was also on the same page. He landed up there, narrated it (the story) to her, and her highness accepted it,” the “Jersey” star quipped. “Hit: The Third Case”, produced by Wall Poster Cinema and Unanimous Productions, is set to be released on May 1.