‘A FILM’S FATE IS NOT IN MY HAND’

Shraddha Kapoor says she’d love for smalltown girls to be able to relate to her; adds she wants to contribute to the evolution of cinema

When her last few films including Rock On 2 (2016) and Haseena Parkar (2017) didn’t do well at the box office, like any other actor, Shraddha Kapoor, too, felt a little low. Now, she is back with a bang. “I am happy as well as relieved that Stree is doing so well and has become a blockbuster,” says the actor, as she opens up about career, her love for travelling, and her next, Batti Gul Meter Chalu (BGMC).

You must be on cloud nine with Stree’s blockbuster status.

Actually, I haven’t thought much about it yet. But it’s surely a good feeling, though a bit surreal. It’s not sunk in yet because the film is still in theatres. More than anything, I am very grateful. One thing that keeps coming to my mind and also makes me happy is that Dinesh Vijan [producer] thought of me for this film because the content is amazing. When I heard Stree’s script, I was in splits and found it very interesting. But I didn’t expect it to do so well. I am surprised. I just hope I am constantly offered films that have good content.

Do you believe in ₹100 or ₹200crore clubs?

Not at all! You know, my first few films did very well but when my other movies didn’t enter the ₹100-crore club, everyone was like, ‘arrey, her films are not doing well’. Par aisa nahi hota hai. What’s paramount to me is that people should love a film and get entertained. That makes me happy. I want to contribute to our cinema’s evolution in my own way. So, I hope I am offered films that help me do that. You know, I really enjoy playing my parts in films like Stree and BGMC. I would like to think that I’m relatable as an actor, as I am not an ‘elite’ actor. If a girl in Vadodara, Jodhpur or Raipur can relate to me, then it’s a big compliment for me.

When your last few films didn’t do well, was it scary?

Like every actor, I hope that all my films do well. But the fate of a movie has never been in my hand. I can only hope and pray that people like it. The only thing that’s in my hand is to be the best that I can be, as an actor. That’s exactly what my focus has been from day one. There are so many things going on around you that if you pay attention to all of them, it will be very distracting. The idea is to put my best foot forward always. I strongly feel that success and failure are transient.

How was it getting back with your Haider (2014) costar Shahid Kapoor in BGMC?

Essentially, Shahid is the same person that I knew him to be. But he knows a lot about films as well as the industry and you can see that experience because he has been around for a while. There is so much to learn from him. Shahid has worked very hard on BGMC and has had to tap into the grey area of his character’s personality, and his hard work is showing.

This is your eighth year in Bollywood (after Teen Patti; 2010). Does it feel like almost a decade has gone by?

Not at all! I am always like, ‘what? It’s been eight years, really?’ But yes, I have a learnt a lot along the way. Actually, more than learning, I want to unlearn things such as the kind of conditioning you have had or just how you have functioned

previously.

PHOTO: PRASAD NAIK Shraddha Kapoor