‘The impact you make is important, not length of the role’
Kiara Advani talks about her career choices, and how she has grown in the industry
“I’M BLESSED THAT PEOPLE HAVE ACCEPTED ME IN DIFFERENT ROLES. AN ACTOR HAS A HUNGER TO BE VERSATILE. I DIDN’T HAVE TO TRY MUCH, IT JUST HAPPENED. I SIGNED KABIR SINGH AND THEN I SIGNED GOOD NEWWZ AND GUILTY. THEY WERE BACKTO-BACK, EACH ONE WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS.”
Kiara Advani’s upcoming release, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, directed by Aneese Bazmee and produced by Bhushan Kumar, is a sequel to the Akshay Kumar-starrer Bhool Bhulaiyaa. She talks us through her progress up to this point, and how she views the film’s prospects
Q
HOW DO YOU LOOK AT YOUR GROWTH AS AN ARTISTE?
I’ve grown a lot. The credit goes to all the directors who believed in me gave me different roles, and also to the people I have worked with. I’m blessed that people have accepted me in different roles. An actor has a hunger to be versatile. I didn’t have to try much, it just happened. I signed Kabir Singh and then I signed Good Newwz and Guilty. They were back-to-back, each one was different from the others. It wasn’t by choice, it just happened. So people were not trying to put me in a bracket or box. I hope that continues and I do enough good work that’s different.
Q WAS KABIR SINGH A TURNING POINT FOR YOU?
I personally got a lot of love, and it was commercially successful as well. People identified me with Preeti, and made me larger than life. But I think each film was a turning point for me. Fugly was one because that was my first film. Then, the critics really noticed me in Lust Stories and so did the audience. Looking back, I feel proud that we took such a bold subject and made something so aesthetically. Kabir Singh changed the whole game for me. Good Newwz, Shershah …every film has been instrumental in taking me to the next level.
Q IN ALMOST ALL YOUR MOVIES YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN EQUAL SCREEN TIME AS THE HERO. HOW DOES IT FEEL?
I don’t look at the screen time or the length of my role. I consider how much impact I can create through my presence in the film. There may be films in which you are present throughout, yet fail to create an impact, or they fail to work at the box office. I hope every artiste realizes that in a film which has a great role for a male star, even if the time isn’t as much as the female counterpart, it still creates an impact. A good actor, a good cast, a good story will always make a film good. Q DID YOU FEEL THERE WILL BE COMPARISONS TO VIDYA BALAN IN BB2?
You have just seen the trailer, no one knows who Monjulika is in the film. This is not a remake, it’s an original story. There are different shades to the characters that have been created.
But there are certain aspects which have been continued in the franchise – Monjulika’s character, for one. Comparisons will definitely be made, as in every franchise but if you watch all the films you will feel each one has its own story.
QARE YOU DOING ANY TELUGU FILMS?
I am doing a film with Shankar Sir opposite Ram Charan. Shankar Sir’s cinema, his school, his style, are different and the story is very relevant, it’s a socio-political drama. I can’t reveal the storyline as the shooting is in the very early stage.
Q EVERYONE WANTS TO SIGN KIARA! HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SUCH RECOGNITION DOWN SOUTH?
That’s the reason I have signed Shankar Sir’s film. I signed my first film in 2017 or 2018 with Mahesh Babu and then I did another film, but did not do a south film after that. Since I was busy here, there were date issues. I started getting many emails from fans asking when I would do a South film. And I got Shankar Sir’s call. This is my first pan-India film. I have done a film with Charan earlier, but this is such an interesting movie.
Q DO YOU FEEL THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO TURN TO THE SOUTH?
I did South films before it became a rage here. My decision to do a South film was not based on how well these films are doing now. I wanted to try to do at least one South film every year. Also, people want to see me over there, there’s a demand from there, so why not?