20 years of Yuva: Esha Deol reveals why Mani Ratnam cast her in the role of Radhika, says ‘I was moofat’

“Suriya I remember as a man of few words but once the cameras rolled we both were totally on fire in character full of life. Can’t believe it’s been 20 years of these 2 fantastic films I’m proud of being part of. Much gratitude,” she added.

 

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Reflecting further about Yuva in an interview with India Today, Esha Deol sad, “Radhika, my character, is very dear to me because playing her was a lot of fun. She had a very witty sense of humour and was ‘moofat’, something that I was, at least at that time. I used to be quite similar and hence, got into trouble. I think that’s what Mani Sir saw about me.”

Sharing how she landed the role, Esha credited Shaad Ali, who worked closely with Mani Ratnam. “I was doing my dance rehearsal at home and Shaad Ali, who was very much in Mani sir’s camp, came over and said, ‘This is what Mani sir wants’ [hinting at her look for the character] and that he wanted to meet me in Chennai,” she said.

Yuva, released in 2004, was a film that explored the intertwining lives of three young men from different backgrounds, portrayed by Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan, and Vivek Oberoi. Esha Deol played the role of Radhika, Vivek Oberoi’s love interest. In Tamil, the film was made as Aayutha Ezhuthu, with Suriya, Madhavan, and Siddharth in the lead roles. The film, despite its critical acclaim, turned out to be a box office disappointment.