Eleven years into her Bollywood journey, Naila Grrewal is stepping into unfamiliar territory with her South film debut in Atlee’s upcoming Pan-Indian project Raaka.
A dream collaboration eleven years in the making
Grrewal told The Hollywood Reporter India that landing a part in Raaka came down to manifestation and being upfront about her admiration for Atlee’s work from their first meeting. “He was extremely gracious to take that conversation forward and be open to the idea of collaborating with someone who has only worked in the Hindi film industry,” she said.
Discussing Atlee’s craft, Grrewal said “I felt that there was a creative language in his cinema that I would love to be a part of. There was a sense of manifestation and he is the kind of filmmaker I aspire to work with. It feels like a masterclass to understand the amount of dedication and persistence that is needed to make something this mammoth come to life.”
Sharing the frame with Deepika Padukone and Allu Arjun
Raaka marks the first collaboration between director Atlee and Allu Arjun, and brings the filmmaker’s eighteen-year vision to the screen, with Arjun and Deepika Padukone playing lead roles. Grrewal previously appeared alongside Padukone in a supporting role in Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha in 2015, making their reunion in Raaka feel like a full circle moment for her.
She said that watching Padukone now, she notices how attuned the actor is to her characters rather than simply her stardom, adding that being part of these stories alongside performers like Padukone and Arjun feels fascinating. On working with Arjun, Grrewal said his focus and hunger to get a scene right, despite the level of success he has already achieved, has been inspiring to witness as a newer actor.
What to expect from Raaka
Grrewal said “It’s going to be something that really pushes the envelope in terms of all aspects of filmmaking and all aspects of character portrayal. When you’re able to break away from the regular norms of playing something natural into something completely different, it’s going to be really out of the ordinary.”
Grrewal was last seen playing advocate Ananya Shroff in the second season of Maamla Legal Hai, alongside Ravi Kishan, Nidhi Bisht, Anant Joshi, and Anjum Batra. With Raaka, she now moves into a new chapter of her career, one built on stepping outside familiar territory and into Atlee’s expansive cinematic universe.
Also Read: Naila Grrewal wins praise for Mamla Legal Hai season 2, fans draw Amy Santiago comparisons
More Pages: Raaka Box Office Collection
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