Meet Srishti, who makes her debut with Arjun Das's John Doe and idolises Nayanthara

Actor Srishti is preparing to enter the film industry with a new language, industry and culture to navigate. Ahead of the release of John Doe, she has spoken about her unconventional debut, her experience of working with Arjun Das and her desire to build a career on her own terms. She also shared her admiration for Nayanthara.Directed by Madhumita, John Doe features Srishti in the challenging role of a mother. She learnt Tamil and dubbed her portions for the film herself. The newcomer, who has about 2,000 followers on Instagram, approaches the November 13 release with a mix of nervousness and excitement. Nayanthara has worked in cinema for more than two decades and remains one of the most recognised actors in South Indian cinema. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Srishti said Nayanthara's journey and career choices stood out as she explored the different paths actors had taken in the industry."I'm still a newcomer, even though I'm a latecomer to the industry. I'm exploring the different paths that people have taken, but I really admire what Nayanthara has achieved. I'm a big fan of hers," she said. Nayanthara is popularly known as the 'Lady Superstar', but Srishti questioned the need for a separate title for female actors."I don't understand why we have to call someone a 'lady superstar' when we already have terms like megastar and superstar. Why does there have to be a separate title for women?" she asked. Srishti said she particularly admired how Nayanthara moved beyond conventional roles and created a space for herself in the industry."I really admire Nayanthara's career trajectory, the roles she has done, and the different phases she has gone through. She has also done stereotypical roles, but she fought against the odds and carved a niche for herself. She reached a point where she could command the kind of roles she wanted to do. I really admire her for that," she added.Nervousness and excitement before her debutSrishti is entering the film industry at an age when many actors are already several years into their careers. She said the unfamiliar language, territory and culture made her nervous, although she was equally excited about the opportunity."I think the first emotion is nervousness, actually, because it is my first film, and that too in a different language, a different territory and a different culture. It is something I have not grown up with, so there is a lot of nervousness. But alongside that, I am equally excited," she said.She added, "I think the last few years have pretty much been about this, just finding my way through, getting across and eventually finding that one thing that would work and that I could engage with. So, I am pretty excited about what it will bring, especially because I am making my debut at this age, which is not the usual, conventional debutant age."Working with Arjun DasSrishti stars opposite Arjun Das in John Doe. Recalling their time on set, she said Arjun made an extra effort to help her understand his Tamil dialogues so that she could respond as the scenes required."He put in extra effort to help me understand his dialogues correctly so that I could respond in the way that was needed. He was very kind and very helpful," she shared.Srishti also spoke about watching Arjun in #Love. She said it was interesting to see him in a softer role after the intense characters with which audiences usually associate him."It was so interesting to see him in that space because we have always seen him in very intense roles. Initially, he was doing antagonistic and villainous roles. But there is this certain soft, sweet side to him, which actually exists in the real person as well, and that came across in this series," she said.Referring to Arjun's work with Lokesh Kanagaraj, Srishti said she had also enjoyed watching him in different roles.John Doe is slated to hit theatres on November 13.- Ends