India, Jan. 16 -- Actor Rukmini Vasanth surprised viewers with her negative turn in Kantara Chapter 1, which emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of 2025. Basking in the praise now, she says taking on a villain's role early in her career was daunting due to "the industry's preconceived notions". "It was quite a difficult decision. Kantara was a really exciting film to even be offered. Rishab Shetty sir (actor-director) called me and said, 'You're the bad guy!' I felt overwhelmed as there are preconceived notions you hear around you. It's not like anyone consciously tells you, 'you don't do this kind of role'... but you hear that one should always stay in a particular kind of zone. So it felt stressful," shares the 29-year-old. She continues, "To step out of that (stress) and decide 'This is an integral project, I would like to be involved'... was terrifying initially. Then I didn't think about it for a year, until we got closer to release when those anxieties popped up again. It made me a better human and an experienced actor." After the release, she said viewers preferred to speak about her 'range' as an actor, "People were appreciating that female actors can take on roles with multiple shades. That has been encouraging. Once the audience likes it, you don't need to stress."...