Making presence felt...

Disha Patani says she won’t do back-to-back films to prove her existence in Bollywood

Disha Patani says she is looking for stronger roles and cannot go on a film signing spree to appear active in the public eye. The 25-year-old actor, who made her Hindi film with M S Dhoni: The Untold Story in 2016, says she would want to be associated with “good stories” that help her register her presence.

“The story matters to me a lot. I can’t do something I don’t like. Just for the sake of being out there... Showing people I exist, I can’t do that... Because it’s a lot of work. Filmmaking is not easy. You have to give your 1,000 per cent. You don’t get to sleep, eat. I’m not happy to do it if I’m not happy with the story. I look for stronger roles, for the parts that would help me leave an impact. People should like the characters I play. Maybe, that’s why I find it hard to find roles,” Patani said.

The actor also featured in Kung-Fu Yoga with Sonu Sood and international action legend Jacky Chan last year. Patani was recently seen in Baaghi 2, opposite Tiger Shroff, and she says it took her “a lot of time” to get into the skin of her character, Neha. “She is a completely different person. But, I am similar to her only in parts. Audience will come to see a suspense element to the role,” she says.

The film is the sequel to the 2016 action movie, with Shroff coming back as the male lead, Ronnie. When asked if she was worried about the film as sequels are weighed with expectations, Patani says, “I was not a part of the first one, so I don’t have that pressure. But Tiger must be going through that. It’s a fresh start for me. I don’t have the baggage.”

The actor says she aspires to do strong roles in films. “I know it’s too early for me to ask for so much. I have just started. In future, I want to do roles that inspire girls and women. I want girls to know that they are as strong as the boys,” she adds.

Patani, who is a second year BTech dropout, wanted to become an Air Force pilot. She says people discouraged her when she decided to give up studies to pursue films but the only way to silence critics is to prove them wrong. “If someone tells me, ‘you can’t do this’, I get motivated, I feel ‘I have to do this now’. People always pass judgements but at the end of the day, you know yourself.”