Exclusive! Lakadbaggha actress Ridhi Dogra: I am not interested in playing a damsel in distress

Actress Ridhi Dogra - who is making her Bollywood debut with the upcoming action thriller Lakadbaggha, after a successful stint in television and OTT shows - talks about why she picked this project.

Sharing an insight into her character in the film, Ridhi told OTTplay, “I am playing the character of Akshara D’Souza - a crime branch officer. I really liked the story of the film, because it is about a young fellow, named Arjun Bakshi, who is an animal vigilante, and there is a very strong antagonist also in the narrative. I am not playing second fiddle to the boys. Akshara’s character is equally powerful. I want to be part of stories, in which the character has a strong impact on the narrative. I do not want to play a damsel in distress in any project.”

Adding to that, she said, “It’s a film in which I got to do action as well. The cast and crew were fantastic. We really had a good time making a film like this, where we had shot extensively with animals, particularly dogs. Every story has shades of good and bad, and then there is a little grey in between. I am that grey in this story. So yes, this is a very special film to me.”

Produced by First Ray Films, Lakadbaggha is directed by Victor Mukherjee. The film also features actors Miling Soman, Paresh Pahuja, Bijou Thaangjam, Adrita De and Trushant Ingle. It is shot by celebrated French DOP Jean-Marc Selva.

As the film is an action thriller and the Karv-Magha form is used extensively in it, the male protagonist of the film Anshuman, along with Ridhi, trained under experts, before the film went on the floor. Anshuman went to the US to learn the martial arts from Tsahi Shemesh, who was also the trainer for Avengers and Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

Lakadbaggha will be in theatres on January 13.