Rukmini recalls the anxiety of playing a negative role in Vasantha Kantara: Chapter 1
Actress Rukmini Vasanth has spoken about the anxiety she faced while playing the character of Kanakvati in Rishabh Shetty’s film ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’. She emphasized the industry’s unwritten expectations for traditional heroines and the values they should adopt within the narrative.
Playing the role of Rishabh Shetty’s complex and scheming Kanakvati Kantara: Chapter 1Caused great concern for actor Rukmini Vasanth. He explained that his anxiety was due to early-career pressure from the industry against “drowning in the grey”. The actor noted that this rule imposes a rigid standard for traditional heroines, defining the values they must adopt and their place in the narrative.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Rukmini said on her experience of playing Kanakvati, “I was very worried about the fact that she would become a negative character. In the early stages, you don’t really go into the grey. There’s this idea of what a traditional heroine should be like, what values she should embrace, and where you should be in the film.”
He added, “You’re not just working on this one movie. It feels like it will have a compounding effect on the rest of your career. You don’t want to jeopardize future work because you don’t know what opportunities will come your way.”
“Maybe it’s the nice girl fallacy,” she said, highlighting the idea that experimentation is something one is expected to do later in their career. “Once you have the full spectrum, of course, you can experiment. But in the beginning, it feels dangerous,” the Kantara: Chapter 1 actor said.
Rukmini asserted, “Once you start a film, you’re done with it. You’re either completely immersed in the world of the film, or you’re thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve got a leech on my foot. These are two realities.’
“You start thinking, am I going to spend the rest of my career playing the bad guy? I’m thrilled. People are talking about my range. They’re not saying, ‘Keep playing good girl roles.’
India Today in its review Kantara: Chapter 1wrote, “The climax and Guliga sequences of the prequel deserve special mention and repeated viewings. Rishabh Shetty, as an artist, is truly a force of nature in these moments. With such captivating visuals and such an inspiring story, one can’t help but love the world of Rishabh Shetty’s Kantara.”
The film was released theatrically on October 2, 2025.
