The 15-year old Sairat star Rinku Rajguru has taken the box office by storm.
And like any normal 15-year old, stardom is something Rinku had not bargained for. "I was in school when Nagraj (director Nagraj Manjule) sir offered this film. Suddenly my life changed."
Rinku is no longer able to do normal things. "Everywhere there are people following me, ‘Didi ek selfie... Didi ek selfie.'
"People much older than me call me ‘Didi’. My co-star Aksah and I are followed everywhere. It is unnerving," says the youngest superstar of India.
But here comes the shocker: Rinku doesn't want to be an actress.
"Much as I got to learn about acting during the shooting of Sairat, I don’t want to be an actress. I want to finish my studies and become a doctor," she says.
"I am in Class 10, and lagging behind because of the shooting. I somehow gave my exam by cramming for 15 days. But now that the film is over and I want to get back to my studies seriously. Sairat just happened. I am not thinking of a career as an actress."
But for now, she’s enjoying every bit of the attention she’s getting for portraying Archie in Sairat.
"When I see the moist-eyed pride on my parent’s face and when my kid brother, who is 13, feels proud his sister is getting recognition, I feel happy. I was not prepared for any of this. Nagraj sir had warned me and my co-star Akash that we wouldn’t be able to step out of the house without being mobbed. Now when it’s actually happening, it feels like I am in a dream."
Her co-star Akash Thosar has also become an overnight sensation.
"I am still trying to understand what has happened to my life," says the soft spoken Pune boy whose only connection with cinema before Sairat was as an audience.
"I watch films, that’s it. No one in my family is even remotely connected to cinema. My father is a land contractor. I was studying at the Pune University when Sairat happened," he says.
How Akash got the role is also an interesting story.
The young lad reveals, "I was spotted by the director Nagrajji’s brother in his village Jeur. He thought I suited the role and told Nagrajji who asked me to meet him. Everything happened quickly after that. It’s like a blur from the time I was offered the role."
Akash says the director treated him like family. "Both my co-star Rinku and I stayed in Nagrajji’s home with his family while we prepared for our roles. I was treated like a member of the family. I knew nothing about acting. I still have a lot to learn."
Unlike Rinku, Akash is bitten by the acting bug.
"It’s as if I always wanted to do this. But didn’t know about it. Sairat has changed my life. I cannot step out of the house without people accosting me. My family is very proud of me," he says.
What about his friends in Pune? Has their attitude changed towards Akash?
Laughs the shy guy, "You won’t believe this. But I haven’t met my friends after the release of Sairat. There’s no time. We are running around promoting the film."
When asked about the most fan experience with a female, Akash shyly says, "Women and men they all love the film."
"Everywhere we go we are greeted with the warmth of family members. The entire experience has helped me open up as an individual. Earlier I could barely speak a few words to strangers. Now I am far more comfortable in the company of people I don’t know," he says.