Interview: Anushka Sharma
By: Jai Rajendrakumar
If any actor wants to be considered a master of his or her craft, it must be necessary for them to push the envelope and take on roles that are outside of their comfort zones. In Anushka Sharma’s case, she has to be willing to ditch the whole “girl-next-door” persona that fits her so well and undergo a bit of an image makeover.
Lucky for her, that image makeover of sorts presented itself in Badmaash Company, which features the actress engaging in a sultry kissing scene with her fellow co-star and lead actor Shahid Kapoor. The steamy scene with Shahid is a far cry from the small-town girl she portrayed opposite Shah Rukh Khan in her debut Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.
While many critics, pundits and fans will see the lip-locking scene as a marketing ploy to attract attention to the film, Anushka, 22, stressed she is doing all she can to be the best actress possible, doing everything in her power to do the production justice.
“I don’t see it as a kissing scene. It’s a part of the screenplay. I think cinema is changing, and we are not doing (kissing) for the heck of it,” she emphatically told reporters. “We do not need to do this (kiss on screen) to attract attention. When you see the film, the kind of chemistry (my character) Bulbul and Karan (Shahid) share, the kind of love that’s there between them, you will be able to understand that the scene was justified.”
Not only does Anushka believe the bold move from village girl to love-maker is justified, she also states the shift (and the kissing scene itself) is an accurate reflection of those living in middle-class and metropolitan India.
“This film is about four friends, their relationships, and the trials they go through to achieve their goals. All the characters are extremely relatable because they come from middle-class families with big dreams and aspirations,” she wisely told reporters. “We have all been like that. Their dreams are really big. They don’t have any patience. They want to do it right away.”
She also believes Badmaash Company was done the right way, as the film — set in 1990s Mumbai about four friends who seek riches by jumping through legal loopholes as they start a new business venture — touches upon many issues that, Anushka states, represent everyday people. Further, the chemistry between her, Shahid and fellow co-stars Vir Das and Miang Chang make it easier for audiences to relate to the story.
“When we traveled outdoors, we got to spend time with each other,” she excitedly told the press. “We hung out, ate out, went to the pub. Good that we got along very well because it was a prerequisite of the film.”
Of course, there are also certain prerequisites to becoming a multifaceted and talented actor — something which Anushka definitely wants to achieve. While she has yet to realize what those prerequisites are, she hopes her experiences in Badmaash Company and Rab Ne Bana Di will provide her with the insight she needs to figure things out.
To that end, she does believe the fact that she has limited training as an actor is beneficial, as it allows her to keep an open mind, ergo helping her soak up experiences like a sponge.
“I quite enjoy the fact that I’m not a trained actor. If you are experienced, you have a certain method of acting, but I haven’t discovered that method yet,” she quirkily told reporters. “There is a positive side of not being a trained actor. When I get a scene, I see how naturally it should be done. People call it natural acting, and that is also a method.”
Whether or not she discovers her method, one thing Anushka is sure of – she will not actively search for specific roles or genres but instead take the best roles available and push herself to quite the diversified thespian.
“I am not looking forward to any particular genre. I’m open to doing films of every genre and with different directors,” Anuskha said. “There are so many things I would love to do — a period love story or an action film.”
Oddly enough, Anushka never planned on being in a position to choose among film characters or genres, mostly because she never thought of acting in the first place.
“I never wanted to be an actor. I wanted to remain a model,” she confessed to reporters. “Had I wanted to be an actor, I would have been more observant about actors. After Rab Ne, I realized that it’s a very difficult profession. You don’t have time for your personal life, for your parents, and your social circuit becomes very small because you are working day and night.”
If she does want to be a great actor, she will have to continue working at it. Hopefully she put some of that genuine effort into her role in Badmaash Company, which opens this weekend in theaters worldwide.
