By Palash Srivastava, New Delhi, January 25
Actress Chandrika Ravi reflected on her collaboration with the music sensation Diljit Dosanjh for the recently released song 'Saanvle'. The star called the opportunity to work with Diljit a "no-brainer," as the song celebrated the beauty of dark skin, a representation she felt was lacking during her childhood.
In an interview with ANI, Chandrika Ravi admitted that she was approached by the makers of Diljit's song because of her dark skin, as the song was centred on dark-skinned representation.
"When they called me for it (Saanvle song), they said that they were looking for someone who lived in Los Angeles, who was a darker-skinned actress, and I was the only person that they heard of. It was like a no-brainer. Like, I didn't even have to give it any thought because I was like, of course, it's Diljit. I also know what he touches is great, and I realised how big the message was behind it," said Chandrika Ravi.
The actress described her experience with Diljit Dosanjh as "amazing" while also highlighting the significance of the song in society. She recalled the early days of shooting, saying that everyone was "excited" to work on the project.
"I think all of us went into the project very excited. All of us were very excited about what this was going to be. The team was incredible from the production side, the stylists, everyone. It was such a great experience. I knew the magnitude of what it was going to be because I needed a song for this (dark-skinned representation) when I was growing up. I needed someone like Diljit to say that dark skin was beautiful, right? It was an amazing experience," said Chandrika Ravi.
Chandrika Ravi described the recognition and love she received after the song's release as "monumental" because, according to her, the song represented the kind of validation and celebration of dark Indian skin that she herself missed while growing up.
"The recognition and love I've got on this one has been really monumental because it was something I needed growing up. It was something that I didn't have when I was growing up to see a big artist celebrating dark Indian skin. So, for me, it was like, oh, wow, I've done something that will change lives. For people to see a South Indian woman, especially being celebrated in the biggest Punjabi artist's music video, you know? I'm still pinching myself, and I'm like, wait, was this real? Like, did it really happen? Because we also shot it quite a while ago," added Chandrika Ravi.
Saanvle is sung by Diljit Dosanjh and Raj Ranjodh, while the lyrics are composed by Raj Ranjodh. The song features Chandrika Ravi in the video. The actress is also known for her dance performance in Nandamuri Balakrishna's film Veera Simha Reddy.
The actress will be next seen in the biopic of the late actress Silk Smitha.
- ANI
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