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producer. If you are talented, things will fall into place. Whether conventional or unconventional, every kind of film is working. Badhaai Ho or Andhadhun both made good business. There are films being made of every kind that are tasting critical as well as commercial success; so yes, it is a great phase to be in. With me, my commercial success only emboldens me to become more courageous and b **** y, if I may say, with my choices. I am now seeking roles that are layered and more difficult to portray.
Does your commercial success then also debunk the notion that outsiders have it tougher in Bollywood?
Everybody goes through a phase of struggle. But whoever is surviving and doing well in the film industry right now is genuinely talented. Ranbir (Kapoor), Varun (Dhawan) or Alia (Bhatt) are superstars because they are very good at what they do. Same holds true for outsiders as well. We are trying to create a niche for ourselves and if we are getting those opportunities, it is probably because we deserve to be there. Whether it is a star kid or a non-star kid, only deserving are getting successful.
Your success last year also coincided with a rough time in your personal life with Tahira (his wife) battling cancer. What has been the biggest learning from last year?
Last year was bittersweet. I was going through a personal challenge while being on a professional peak. But I think it was a collective journey for both of us. It was difficult but looking back, I am glad we recovered from that phase. In fact, we just went on a vacation. The biggest learning was that we always have a certain void in life — no life is perfect. You have to accept and fight it at the same time.
Music has been an important part of your journey. How has it shaped you? Who’s been your harshest critic?
My wife, manager and father. They were harsh after Vicky Donor. The thing is they critically analyse everything — but mostly my choices of films. Whenever I sit down to watch a film with my father, he tells me you could have done this better. In my head, it was great already (laughs).
As a young, innocent girl from an orthodox family who is murdered for eloping with her lover, Nushrat Bharucha left quite an impression when she starred in Dibakar Banerjee’s Love, Sex Aur Dhokha in 2010. Nearly a decade later, the commercial success of Pyaar Ka Punchnama films, followed by the tongue-twister Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, have been added to her CV. With her romantic comedy Dream Girl releasing tomorrow, it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that she has found a niche in the slapstick genre. The actress chats with City Times about her journey thus far.
From starting out with a film like Love, Sex Aur Dhokha to moving to more commercial, mainstream cinema, how do you see your journey?
When I look back, I don’t even think I was shooting for a film when I did LSD. It felt like a workshop that I was doing with some really talented people. I was acting, but I didn’t know what it meant. I was raw, nobody told me how to polish it or channelise it. If I was to be offered that film today, I probably will not be able to do it because there is a certain vulnerability when you are new and the role required that. What a lot of people forget is that in LSD, camera was the first character of the film. What they saw was what was being captured on the camera. From then to now, it has been a completely different journey — there have been some incredible highs, some deep lows.
Dream Girl pairs you with Ayushmann Khurrana. How was the experience of working with him?
Ayushmann brings a different sort of realism to acting. When you see him on screen it doesn’t feel as though he
You have worked in Southern cinema. How is the culture of filmmaking different there?
It is an alien experience for me to work on a set of 100 or more people whose language I do not understand. Plus, to say dialogues in a language you do not understand further disconnects me from acting, the character arc, nuances and expression. It did take me a while to adjust. But what underlies in both film industries is the passion and fervor for cinema.
You’re being typified as the girlnext-door in romantic comedies. As an actor, do you feel the need to break out of that mould?
You know, even if I am being stereotyped as the girl-next-door, the same film features songs where I am required to become this hot, glamorous chick, who is dancing to party numbers. That look change is enough to prove otherwise to someone who has a keen eye. Today, you cannot get typecast easily because there is so much more an audience gets from an actor. Even if you don’t do it in films, there is social media, photoshoots for magazines that capture a different side of you. So, I don’t feel the need to break out of anything.