Malayalam actor Aishwarya Lekshmi has opened up about an unexpected cultural experience she encountered while shooting in Erode, Tamil Nadu. The actor recalled being repeatedly asked about her gotra and caste during a film schedule, saying the experience was unfamiliar and difficult for her to understand.
Aishwarya shared the experience during a conversation with Rajini Haridas. According to the actor, the shooting location had a distinctly different atmosphere because the portion being filmed was set in 1996.
Aishwarya Lekshmi Says the Shooting Location Felt Like Another Era
Speaking about the schedule, Aishwarya said the surroundings felt considerably different from what she was accustomed to. The period setting and local environment made her wonder whether audiences might feel that the film belonged to another era.
The actor said the experience exposed her to cultural practices that she had not encountered personally before. Among them were questions about her gotra.
‘I Don’t Even Know My Gotra,’ Says Aishwarya
Aishwarya recalled that people at the location asked her about her gotra, a question she said she had never encountered in her life.
“I don’t even know my gotra,” she said while describing the experience.
The actor also said she developed a newfound appreciation for the social environment she was familiar with in Kerala, where she said nobody had previously asked her such a question.
For Aishwarya, the issue was not simply the question itself but the significance attached to it. She recalled wondering why her caste background should matter to other people.
Actor Clarifies That She Is Not Generalising
Aishwarya was careful to distinguish her personal experience from a broad judgment about people in the region. She stressed that she was not suggesting everyone behaved in the same way.
“I’m not saying everybody is like that, but this did happen,” she said.
Her comments have drawn attention because they highlight how social and caste identities can become visible in everyday interactions, particularly when people encounter cultural environments different from their own.
Aishwarya Lekshmi’s Journey From Medicine to Cinema
Aishwarya Lekshmi, who comes from Thiruvananthapuram, initially trained as a doctor before pursuing acting.
She made her Malayalam film debut with Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela in 2017. The same year, her performance in Mayaanadhi brought her wider recognition and established her as one of the notable young actors in Malayalam cinema.
She subsequently appeared in films across Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu industries. Her filmography includes titles such as Varathan, Kaanekkaane, Ammu, Kumari, Ponniyin Selvan: I, Ponniyin Selvan: II and Gatta Kusthi.
Aishwarya Lekshmi’s Recent and Upcoming Work
The actor continues to move between different South Indian film industries, taking on projects in multiple languages.
Her recent work includes Aasha, while her other upcoming projects are also generating interest among audiences.
Aishwarya’s latest comments offer a glimpse into an experience that occurred away from the glamour of film sets. Rather than making a blanket statement about an entire community, she described how unfamiliar caste-related questions affected her personally while working in Erode.
