‘You can never stop learning’

It is said that for newcomers in the Hindi film industry, the real challenge begins after their first movie. Athiya Shetty (right), who has one film to her credit Hero (2015), agrees. “With your first film, you can make mistakes, but your second and third movies map out your career. You want to be known for the films you are part of. You want to be known for your [career] graph,” she says. The young actor is also honest about the areas she needs to work on. “As an actor, you can never stop learning. I need to work on everything, whether it is my acting or dancing skills. You can never stop learning — for example, a magazine shoot teaches you about different camera angles, while at film shoot, you can learn more about acting, media interactions, and how to dodge questions (laughs),” she says. Speaking about the media and her relationship with them, Athiya says, “The media has been sweet to me. It’s because of my dad and the goodwill that he shares with them. The media genuinely loves him, and has given me a bit of that love. I’m lucky.” When asked about her younger sibling, Ahan Shetty, who will soon make his Bollywood debut in a Sajid Nadidawala production, Athiya says everyone thinks he is her older brother. “He is more mature and responsible. I am the opposite. He takes care of me, even though he is my younger brother. I am always treated like the younger one in the family,” says Athiya. Prod her about her friends in the industry, and the actor says, “Krishna Shroff (Jackie Shroff ’s daughter) is my closest friend in the industry. I have not grown up around people in the industry, so I don’t have many friends there. I grew up with Krishna, Tiger (Shroff) and Sooraj (Pancholi).”

With your first film, you can make mistakes, but your second and third movies map out your career. ATHIYA SHETTY, ACTOR

PHOTO: ROHAN SHRESTHA