Kannada actor Kushee Ravi is ready to experience some magic again. When Dia was released in 2020 and was one of the few films to be well-received during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kushee experienced it for the first time. “We were just experimenting,” she recalls in a laid-back chat with Hindustan Times. “None of us thought Dia would blow up like it did.” And now, she’s ready to do it again with Zee5’s first original Kannada web series, Ayyana Mane, which will be released on April 25. (Also Read: Agnyathavasi an attempt to bring Kannada audiences to theatres and cross borders: Hemanth Rao)
Playing a 90s housewife in Ayyana Mane
Kushee might be married to Rakesh Kumar and have a daughter, but a ’90s wife is something she’s far from. And yet, she says, she enjoyed playing the part of one immensely because it gave her something new to chew on as an actor. “My character Jaaji is an introvert, she’s loving, innocent, someone who’s deeply respectful to tradition,” explains Kushee, adding, “The web series explores what happens when she moves to her in-laws’ house as a newly married woman and her curiosity gets the better of her.”
The actor also says she was drawn to the project because she had never played a ‘vintage role’ like this. “The director Ramesh Indira is a good actor too. And his work always has women of substance, which is important to me at this stage of my career. I watched some ‘90s films to understand how Jaaji would behave or talk. But it was so easy for me to essay her because Ramesh helped me understand her every move. I was falling, running, shouting in a saree on top of it all, I loved it!” adds Kushee.
Kushee says Jaaji in Ayyana Mane is the complete opposite of Dia. “You know how heroines always have to be beautiful and smile? I remember asking my director(KS Ashoka), who would see Dia? She’s always crying…always has problems in her life. She looks dull too. But I’m glad I was wrong,” she says, adding, “Ayyana Mane might feature me looking the exact opposite, but I want it to be a path-breaker like Dia was.”
Why 2025 is Kushee Ravi’s year
If Dia’s reception was good during its theatrical run, the reviews that poured in after it was released on Prime Video was a whole different story. The success was such that it was even remade in Telugu as Dear Megha, in Hindi as Dear Dia and in Marathi as Sari. “Kannada films were just for Karnataka, unless they were star films, before the lockdown. Dia was the film that broke the barrier and received appreciation even from Mani Ratnam and Rajkumar Hirani,” says Kushee.
While the actor admits, ‘it was nice to go viral’ thanks to OTT, she believes theatrical pull is still essential for actors hoping to make it big in the film industry. “It’s so difficult to pull the audience to theatres these days. Whenever a small film releases, there’s the attitude that it can be watched on OTT later. So, having this digital revenue stream is both a boon and a bane. Nothing can beat box office collections at the end of the day,” she says firmly.
So, what other plans does she have to make her mark in the film industry? “I have five projects lined up for this year,” says Kushee confidently and excitedly, adding, “I have Full Meals and Son of Mutthana. A female anthology with Roshini Prakash and other actors. It’s my first time shooting with sync sound in an experimental film with two characters on a babymoon. This will be my year!”
