Women need be the leading ladies of our own lives

The show comprises a cast and crew of mostly women which in itself is rather unique and releases on March 31

Rashi began her journey in the world of acting on stage, working with and being trained and mentored by Jeff Goldberg, Makarand Deshpande, Sunil Shanbag amongst others. Her first film ‘Sir' was an Indo-French co-production that won The GAN Foundation Award at Cannes in 2018 and had her playing a pivotal role. She was then handpicked by director Pradeep Sarkar and started her journey in Bollywood with ‘Helicopter Eela' (2018) alongside Kajol and even won the Best Actress (Viewer's Choice) at the MTV-IWMBuzz Digital Awards held in November 2019. She believes that her powerful ambition and spirit have led her this far. Rashi has also worked on several web series including Pyaar Actually with YRF, Akarsh Khurana's Boygiri, Timeout, Paanch, and A.I.S.H.A (that has seen a lot of international success and airs on the biggest TV channel, TF1, in France).

Rashi is currently on a high, what with the upcoming launch of her latest web series on Eros Now, titled ‘Hindmata - A show Of Women, By Women, For Women'. She will be seen in a brand new avatar, playing the protagonist Samaira Jal in this coming of age tale!

With a rather unusual premise and quirky characters, the light-hearted show is a sensitive, modern tale that follows Samaira's journey of finding herself, becoming self-reliant and eventually standing up for things that matter to her while also touching upon some very important issues. The show comprises a cast and crew of mostly women which in itself is rather unique and releases on March 31.

Speaking about her role, Rashi says, "Samaira is a rich, pampered South Bombay fashion designer who lives in her own little bubble, far removed from anyone else's reality and almost naive in her ignorance. Destiny throws her into a setting completely alien from the world she knows and she ends up working closely with the inmates of the women's prison, completely transforming her life in the process."

This experience has had a profound impact on Rashi too. Just as Samaira goes through her own transformation, Rashi believes she too has had her journey of personal growth in the process of bringing the character to life on screen. "Preparing for my role was a rather fun yet intense experience. We did a lot of rehearsals as well as workshops for character development, stitching, singing in a short amount of time. This is one of the most life-changing experiences I have had and the most significant life lesson I am taking away from this stint is the importance of self-love. Samaira's self-assuredness and almost delusional faith in herself helped me realize that self-love is a superpower that is innate to every woman, but we don't harness it enough. We need to be our own cheerleaders, the leading ladies of our own lives. And with that superpower, everything becomes possible. We were a huge cast and crew of women united by a story that advocates women to find their wings; to recognize and awaken the goddess within. We had nothing but love for each other and came together to help elevate each other on and offset. This too made it a very special experience."

Talking about her preparation she adds, " I play a Parsi and I wanted to make sure I got the cultural context right. My co-actor Shreyas Pardiwala was a huge help in the process. I had multiple conversations with him to understand the history of Parsis in India, why they speak Gujrati, their traditions and customs. He also helped me get the Parsi Gujarati accent right. We went over every line and I also had him record the lines on voice notes so I had them at hand on set in case I needed them. "

Rashi is currently also working on 2 film projects that are slated to release in 2021 including Dharma Production's much-awaited Brahmastra. The other one is a very unique, topical film directed by Sudhish Kamath and should be out later this year as well.

With over 40 commercials, multiple projects in all audio-visual mediums and stage shows in theatre, music, and dance under her belt, Rashi's curious nature and undying passion for trying new things have flown her to over 34 countries. She continues to follow her heart and explore avenues that challenge her and bring out the best she has to offer.

"They say an actor faces more rejection in a year than most people face in a lifetime", says Rashi when asked about the challenges she has faced in her journey so far. "It is important to be mentally strong and have a good support system. But I know for sure that if you are good at what you do, believe in yourself and are persistent, you will eventually make your place. I aspire to work in Indian and International cinema and to be counted amongst the best in my profession. Priyanka Chopra is definitely a role model in this regard."