‘Stardom not the same anymore’
In a career spanning less than a decade in Bollywood, Anushka Sharma has carved a niche by slipping into a variety of roles with ease. However, she considers herself incapable of getting a tag like her co-stars and Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan. “It’s not common to give somebody a tag like King of Romance (Shah Rukh) now. It’s a special thing. I don’t think that something like this... like we gave Mr Bachchan The Angry Young Man tag, and we call Shah Rukh as King of Romance... can happen now. I feel it will not happen any more because the meaning of stardom has changed completely. It is not what it used to be earlier. Stardom is more accessible today,” says Anushka.
“During Amitji and Shah Rukh’s times, the meaning of stardom was different. Today it has changed. Still, if it is there, then as an actor you should accept everything that the audience gives you. It is love that you are receiving from the audience, it’s a kind of acceptance that you are getting. I don’t need any such kind of tag because I don’t believe I am capable of being able to fulfil that tag,” she says. Despite starring opposite big names, Anushka has been able to make an impact with films like Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, PK, Dil Dhadakne Do and Sultan. She says she has been able to do so because she has never felt anxious about sharing the frame with them, nor was she awestruck.