Sumeet Sharma
AFTER tasting success as an actor in Bollywood Anushka Sharma has now turned a producer too. After working biggies with Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan the actress will now be seen with Salman Khan in her latest flick Sultan. With this Anushka Sharma will join the list of the actress who has been able to work with the three Khans’. Here the actress speaks to us about her film, Salman Khan, Yash Raj Films and more…
What is the most interesting thing about your latest flick ‘Sultan’ ?‎
I am very excited and grateful that I got this opportunity to work with Salman Khan. He is a mega star. Also, this is my first film of this year so I am really looking forward to it.
Is Salman Khan the main reason for acting in the movie or is there something more ?
Okay! Whenever I sign a movie I don’t think that I want to work with a particular actor. For me, what’s ultimate is the script and the director. I never thought that I would be roped in for this movie and would get to work with Salman Khan. But it has happened and that’s amazing. When your life is going great everything falls in place just right. These guys have spent two decades in the industry. So I found myself very fortunate that I got the opportunity to work with them.
How well were you aware of the wrestling skills before going ahead with the script of ‘Sultan’ ?
I knew a bit about wrestling because of this wrestling league. I am a very curious person so I ask a lot of questions about everything and I read a lot to know about different things. I like to gain knowledge.
How do you see women’s position in the society and in the industry these days ?
Nowadays, if you see, there are many women who are working as an assistant director or a cinematographer in films. So, a lot more girls are working now. May be in our mothers’ time it was not the same. So, I think things have changed a lot in our country and that will also be seen in our films.
Would you want to work in a female oriented film sometime in the future ?
Writers are also, of course, writing female oriented films and they are doing well at the box office. It also encourages people to make such kind of films. So I think its an interesting time. As an actor, I think I have been given this life I have been this position. I feel like I want to make the most of it.
Would you want to do a similar role in any of your films ?
Acting is the ultimate thing for me and I treat my work with a lot of respect and its like a gift for me. So I want to make sure that I make the most of it. To make most of it means to do good roles. I don’t like to do the same thing over and over again. Doing same thing will not give me satisfaction.
Your role required you to get a lot of training or was it easier than thought ?
See, there are three things that I had to do when I started preparing for this role. I had 6 weeks to prepare myself. I thought like a wrestler should be very well built and I don’t look like that. So I thought that’s my biggest disadvantage. However, when I researched I realized that there are different exercises and different weight categories. Surprisingly, there are many international wrestlers that look like me who are skinny and tall. So I thought that this is the right way to go and this is the way I should look.
Was there a lot of pressure on you as the time for your role’s preparation was pretty less ?
Firstly, I needed to get the correct look of a wrestler. It required me to have a toned body and I did that. Secondly, the wrestling part was the most challenging for me. The film is a sports drama and I was quite hesitant to wrestle with a man. It was quite uncomfortable. I watched a lot of videos on youtube to understand how female wrestlers are. I underwent a lot of intensive training with my trainers. Thirdly, it was a proper Haryanvi dialect that in needed to get right. I use to write down my dialect and then learn it. So it was the most challenging character for me to play and I am very happy with the result. When the teaser came out, I was extremely overwhelmed for the kind of response it had generated.
What do you see Yash Raj banner as, in your career story ?
Yash Raj Films has played a significant part in shaping my career. I made my Bollywood debut with Yash Raj and have had done many successful films with them. Working with them is always an honour for me. They are the reason for where I am today. I am very thankful to them.
Being a strong woman, a lot of people think making it big in Bollywood was easier for you…
If people feel that we celebrities don’t have any sort of problems in our lives then they are mistaken. Everybody faces some problem in their lives. I come from a typical middle class family and I had problem then, and now after becoming star, I still have some problems. You may have problems living in a small house or a luxurious house. It’s very subjective.
What was the anchors that holded you strongly in the Bollywood industry ?
I didn’t have any connections in Bollywood industry. I didn’t even know any Assistant Director of any film. The only connection that I had with Bollywood was that I used to go to watch films. I always follow whatever my heart says and by God’s grace everything has happened good for me. I didn’t join Bollywood for fame and money. My prime goal was to act, fame and money came with it. Whatever I do in my life, I do it with full passion and I do it very well. I had always tried to do something different and that habit has not changed yet.