‘PEOPLE TRY TO BOX ME AS A SERIOUS ACTOR’
Aahana Kumra is happy playing the tough woman, but says she would love to feature in a comedy film, especially for her father
Sangeeta Yadav
The fear of getting stereotyped made Aahana Kumra say no to similar roles offered to her. Having played serious roles in her films Lipstick Under My Burqa (2017) and The Acciden tal Prime Minister (2019), the actor says, “This has created a certain perception about me that I’m a very serious actor. So I get a lot of offers for serious dramas.”
It is something the 35year-old actor faces all the time. “I’m playing a CRPF officer in a web series Betaal, and an Arabic agent in the web series Khuda Hafiz. And my looks in both are very different,” Aahana continues, “I keep getting calls to play a woman police officer or a soldier. Because I’m tall and thin and have a certain body structure, people say ‘Iss ladki ko police wali ke role mein kar do’.” But she adds casting directors have been very understanding about her decision to reject a role. “People try to box you, but I politely say no. Most casting directors understand when I tell them that I’ve just done two things which are exactly the same. So, I avoid doing that. They don’t take it to heart,” she says.
Aahana shares while financial gains from projects are essential, at the same time she does not want to compromise on creative satisfaction. “Usually, I don’t say no to anything which gives me great money, I just doit( laughs). But I’ll also do a project for my satisfaction even if it doesn’t pay me. Most actors know how to balance the two and I also try to do that. I’m no different,” she says.
Calling herself a more fun and comic person, Aahana points out that she hasn’t got any role where she could showcase her funny avatar. “My father usually jokes about saying you should do comedy roles and laugh it out by saying, ‘Haa, Housefull 5 toh main hee karungi’ (laughs). He wants me to do one comedy film and I will do it for my father,” Aahana shares.
The actor is busy shooting for a sports show on Indian women cricketers and how they made it big on the global scene. She is also playing the lead in a slice-of-life film, How to Kill Your Husband. “I’ve shot back-to-back in 2019, and there are very interesting things lined up in 2020,” Aahana signs off.
I get a lot of offers for serious dramas. I keep getting calls to play a woman police officer or a soldier... People try to box you, but I politely say no. Most casting directors understand when I tell them that I’ve just done two things which are exactly the same. So, I avoid doing that. They don’t take it to heart.
AAHANA KUMRA ACTOR