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NO TIME OUT FOR ANUSHKA
As Anushka Sharma ties the knot with Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli at the peak of her career, Bollywood experts unanimously agree that the actor’s career has a long way to go and is far from over
The wedding of the year — that of actor Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli — was rumoured, denied, and finally solemnised in Italy on December 11. The intense secrecy before the ceremony was followed by a flood of shaadi-mehendi photos on social media, and a reciprocating deluge of good wishes and fan reactions.
Now that the couple is married, the question is: what next? After a high-profile reception in Mumbai, Virat will be in South Africa for the Test series starting in early January, and Anushka will likely be rushed off her feet promoting her film, Pari, which has a February release. The shooting and prep for her next two films — Anand L Rai’s film with Shah Rukh Khan; and Sui Dhaaga with Varun Dhawan — also start early in 2018.
Being a top actor in Bollywood is a lot of wor before Anushka, only a handful of actresses have married at the peak of their career. They were: Kajol, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vidya Balan, and Madhuri Dixit. Some of these took a break before returning to the scr while some carried on doin movies nonstop.
Asked if marriage is a roadblock for a top female actor’s career, film-maker Anubhav Sinha cites the example of Jaya Bhaduri, w married at the top of her game and delivered some big hits after that. “It totally depends on the individual. I feel that Anushka has at least five dozen great movies still to come,” he says.
There has long been a perception that marriage stalls a female actor’s Bollywood career; any postmarriage movie is labelled a ‘comeback’. Is it any better now? Film critic Omar Qureshi says, “With changing times, mindsets are changing as well (hopefully). Anushka is young and brilliant and has married such an international icon that it’s going to be even more difficult for naysayers. She is way too talented to ever ‘go away’ or ‘come back’.”
Trade analyst Sanjay Mehta points out that these questions e not fair to female actors, nce even male stars, cluding Shah Rukh Khan nd Aamir Khan, would hide eir marital status at one oint in time. Mehta adds that much has changed in the past decades, and married heroines are now accepted by viewers as much as any other big star. “It’s just that Anushka herself might become more selective with roles. But then, there’s room for every kind of cinema today, so she has a safe career path,” he states. Trade analyst Atul Mohan also believes that Anushka, with her star power and many projects in her kitty, isn’t likely to disappear from the screen.
Anushka herself might become more selective with roles. But then, there’s room for every kind of cinema today, so she has a safe career path. SANJAY MEHTA, TRADE ANALYST