Aishwarya Devan: Working in Bollywood was always the dream

It’s been three years since Malayali actress Aishwarya Devan was seen on the silver screen. The wait though has been worth it, she says, as the sabbatical, relocation to Mumbai and a modelling career have now paved way for her Bollywood debut with actor Sharman Joshi.
The actress, who is visibly chuffed about being part of the movie titled Kaashi – In Search of Ganga, plays a journalist.“The entire story happens in Varanasi. My character is from Lucknow but I didn’t have to stick to the dialect. She helps Sharman’s character, Kaashi find his sister in the movie,” says Aishwarya.
On how she landed the role, she says, “My manager in Mumbai introduced me to Sharman. He took a screen test and fortunately they liked my performance.” Working with the 3 Idiots actor had its perks as well, Aishwarya says. “I never thought I would be debuting in Bollywood with someone like Sharman, who is such an experienced artiste and has worked in big films. I got to learn a lot from him too because he’s a very natural actor,” she says.
The Hindi film marks her return to cinema after a hiatus, before which she had starred in movies such as Karmayodha and Simhasanam in Malayalam and Anegan in Tamil. Aishwarya also says that being part of the South film industries, it was easy to work in Bollywood. “I didn’t feel there was any difference; the working styles are pretty much the same,” she explains.
So, what was she busy with the three years she was away from movies? “I always wanted to work in Bollywood but that wasn’t the reason for the hiatus. I wasn’t getting any good scripts, so I decided to not take up projects. In the meanwhile, I wanted to participate in Femina Miss India. I moved to Mumbai and fortunately represented Maharashtra in the 2017 contest, in which I won a few titles,” she says. “I am glad that Femina Miss India served as a stepping stone for me to get to Bollywood.”