Kushee Ravi, the talented Kannada actress best known for her performance in Dia, has taken on a whole new avatar in Ayyana Mane, ZEE5 Global’s first Kannada web series. Playing the lead role of Jaji, Kushee has won hearts once again — this time with a character rooted in love, innocence, and tradition.
In an exclusive conversation with Connected to India, Kushee opened up about her journey into the project, the story’s impact, and her growing popularity among the Kannada diaspora.
No audition for Jaji
Interestingly, Kushee didn’t audition for the role of Jaji. Instead, a chance meeting with director Ramesh Indira at a Kannada film premiere led to her casting.
“So no, I didn’t audition for Jaji. I just met Ramesh Indira sir in a premiere,” she recalls. “He just took my number for a project and then he called me and said, ‘Madam, I have to talk to you.’ When I got his call, I was super excited because I always wanted to work with Ramesh Indira sir.”
Initially, she didn’t even know it was a web series. “He told me about the series but didn’t mention that it was a web series. Once he finished the narration, he said, ‘This is a series… ZEE5 will be doing this, their first web series.’ I was super excited!”
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What attracted her to the series
When asked what stood out about Ayyana Mane, Kushee pointed to multiple factors.
“There are many things which stand out here. One, it was Ramesh Indira sir’s writing. He himself has written the story and is directing. And the cast is wonderful,” she says, mentioning co-stars like Manasi Sudhir from Kantara, Archana Kottige, and Hitha Chandrashekar.
She adds, “The other thing was, it was rooted to Karnataka culture. Nowadays, people are very interested in rooted stories. So this made me do the project.”
Post-Dia career choices
After her acclaimed performance in Dia, Kushee became more selective about her roles.
“Of course, I should be. After Dia, people started recognising me not only from Karnataka but from other South Indian states too. It got remade in Hindi and Marathi,” she says, proudly mentioning appreciation from places as far as the USA, UK, and even Afghanistan.
“Between that and Ayyana Mane, I did two to three films where the characters were good but the films didn’t do well. I was confused about taking up Ayyana Mane because it was ZEE5’s first series, and also my first web series. But I thought, if it’s Ramesh Indira sir and ZEE5, I’m not letting go of this opportunity.”
Bringing Jaji to life
Playing Jaji was an emotional journey for Kushee. It offered her a chance to explore yet another side of her acting range.
“As an actor, I wanted to try different genres and characters. In The Great Story of Sodabuddi , I played a loud college-going girl. In Dia, I was an introvert lost in her own world. Jaji was a contrast — very innocent, lovable, respectful to her traditions. I wanted to explore such roles,” she explains.
Love from the diaspora
Kushee’s performance as Jaji resonated deeply with the Kannada diaspora.
“People started calling me Jaji instead of Diya! Before, they used to call me Diya, now it’s Jaji. The character has registered in their hearts, and they feel like Jaji is one of their own. That is the biggest compliment for me.”
She added her gratitude towards the team: “I’m super happy and grateful to ZEE5 and Ramesh Indira sir for giving me this opportunity.”
Plans to visit Singapore
When asked if she had ever visited Singapore, Kushee said, “Oh no. We thought of coming to Singapore this year, but due to a few reasons we couldn’t. I would love to come to Singapore.”
