Actress Flora Saini is happy and excited that the OTT space has provided many actors with a new vision to work and excel. Flora who is presently seen in the Netflix series Rana Naidu, is happy with her work experience in the series.
In a candid chat with IWMBuzz.com, Flora talks at length about her work so far, the roles that she would love to do and more.
Excerpts:
How is it to work with South Star Venkatesh after so many years?
It was amazing. It was a dream come true because I have missed working down South. I started my career with South and Venkatesh Sir and I did a few films together. There was this one film called Nuvu Naku Nachau, which is our biggest hit. It’s like, Andaaz Apna Apna which keeps playing and it really did well. So I mean, it always feels great to be working with the people that you started your career with and it’s been quite some time. I would love to go there and do a Telugu film but I am also happy with the fact that life is bringing them this way and we’re still working together. And hearing Telugu on sets was like, wow, you know, because that’s the language that I picked up while working. I mean, I am a Punjabi. I don’t know Telugu, but I picked it up. And I speak Telugu pretty well. So it felt great to be on that side.
Tell us how you both associated on the sets of Rana Naidu?
We don’t have any scenes together. But at times, one actor is waiting for the scene and the other one is finishing their scene or something like that. So you kind of bump into each other, you bump into a lot of actors, you don’t really see them together doing scenes on screen. So it is one of that experiences for me.
Tell us about your character in Rana Naidu?
I play a character called Kavya who is a very headstrong girl with a mind of her own and she makes decisions that normal people or society would wonder about. She lives life on her own terms. She doesn’t treat or think of herself as a second to anyone and does what she wants to do. She walks into her room. And there is no hello, log kya kahenge, doesn’t hold. That is Kavya.
How has your journey been in the OTT space?
Well, my journey in the OTT space has been fabulous. I owe a lot to the OTT space for the name and fame I have today. And I’m so happy that OTT has made stars of people whose careers had almost, like dwindled away. So many people making comebacks, talented people making comebacks. Age is no longer a bar for people to come back and get success. There is no timeline to when you get success. TV and movies came, but we were not the forefront torchbearers. But when the OTT space came along I think I’m so happy and so proud to say that we are lucky to be the torchbearers, the front liners to get the OTT space running and it’s been quite a journey and really grateful.
What are the kind of roles that entice you?
It’s been some 20-plus years of work. I’ve done the entire rainbow of roles. Song and dance, romance etc, but we all knew projects were male-centric. There was just the good girl. And then there was the bad. That’s it. We forgot all humans are a shade of grey, and this is the best part about the OTT. Projects like Stree, Inside Edge were huge experiments and were exciting. There was a series that I did called Maid In India as MAID. Everything that I’ve done has been challenging and there’s still more to come. I just recently played a lawyer, I haven’t played a cop or a serial killer, which I’m waiting for.
How will you want to be best remembered for your craft?
I just know that when people think of me, they should think beyond one role that I did very well. They should think, Oh my God, this is the same girl who could pull off the Gandii Baat, who could pull off Stree, who could pull off a team owner in Inside Edge. I think that is what I want. I want to be remembered as somebody who could play different roles.
Any dream role that you crave for?
I’d love to do a bank heist or a murder, mystery or a serial killer role. I have not played a cop also.
What are the next projects up your sleeve?
City of Dreams Season 3, Khichdi 2, Good Wife with Kajol. These are the series and there are 2 more with MX that should be out soon.