Imagine waking up one day to find a direct message from renowned Indian director Ram Gopal Varma in your Instagram inbox. It was an astonishing moment for Kottayam native Sreelakshmi Satheesh, and little did she anticipate the whirlwind of national fame that would follow as people scrambled to discover who she was. It all began when Ram Gopal Varma, known as RGV, sent her a message on Instagram after being captivated by some of her photographs. He then took to Twitter to inquire, “Can someone tell me who she is?”
Social media erupted in response to RGV’s tweet as they sought to identify the young model. RGV also tweeted, “Some say the saree is the most beautiful dress, but I never believed it until I saw this video. I am inspired to make a film called Sari with her,” while sharing a video of the 2nd-year M.Sc. student. Onmanorama caught up with Sreelakshmi, the girl of the moment, to learn more about her newfound social media fame and her future aspirations.
When asked about whether she views this as a life-changing moment, Sreelakshmi confessed, “To be honest, I did not really know who Ram Gopal Varma was, though I have seen ‘Rangeela’ but did not know it was RGV sir who directed the movie. It was my photographer Agosh Prasad who alerted me that the filmmaker was trying to get in touch with me. My Instagram feed was also filled with messages from many people who were sharing my video and tagging me in it. It made me so happy to know that such a talented filmmaker was inquiring about me and my work.”
Regarding RGV’s plan to cast her in a movie called “Sari,” Sreelakshmi revealed, “Yes, after I responded, he called me and told me that he would like to do a film with me. He said he is currently busy with another project and will keep me updated once the script for the film is ready. I have still not decided if I will sign up for the project and will make a final decision if I find the character convincing.”
In response to questions about hesitation, Sreelakshmi addressed the negative comments she has received, stating, “Some people have been nasty. Recently, RGV was involved in a controversial incident where he was seen licking and kissing an actress’s feet. These people are trying to connect me in a similar way with the filmmaker. Most of the negative comments are from Malayalis alone, while the people from North India and other parts of South India have been more respectful. These same ‘frustrated’ men have sent flirty messages to me privately. I have decided to ignore them. Ram Gopal Varma sir has been strictly professional with me and very respectful. That’s all I need.”
As for her passion for modeling, Sreelakshmi shared, “I like creating video content and have randomly started modeling. Though I would post some of my works on Instagram, I guess my work started getting noticed more after I joined Videocon. Presently, I am pursuing my 2nd-year M.Sc. at the Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur. I haven’t thought much about the future and will take life as it comes.”
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