First it was PK, now it’s Sultan. Two blockbusters back to back. So have you finally cracked the formula for a hit film?
(Smiles) Oh yeah! I’ve cracked it. It’s called a script. It’s called good content. It’s called doing something different that people have not seen before. PK had its own novelty. Sultan has its novelty like the sport, Salman and my pairing, seeing a female wrestler. It’s a different Salman Khan film. Content is baap and there’s no two ways about it.
It was surprising to see an actress have a substantial role in a Salman Khan film.
(Laughs) What do I say? You know me since the beginning, from when I wasn’t in this place that I am today… even back then I’d told you that I need to feel like I am contributing to the film. And also that it should satisfy me as an actor. I’m spending so many months on a film so it should be worth my while. So when Aditya Chopra called me for Sultan I asked whether I could read the script. He said of course you need to read the script. When I read it, I was kind of surprised because I’d thought ki main kya karungi issme. But I was pleasantly surprised. And I’m glad that people are talking about a girl’s role in a Salman Khan film.
Lot of people spoke about your character giving up her career for having a baby as being a regressive idea.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion about Sultan. As an actor, you dwell on a character more than anyone else would, other than the director. I am the kind of actor who won’t take a step till I’m convinced. This annoys some of my directors because I have so many questions. So I had to be really convinced about Sultan. I don’t believe that it was regressive or there was anything sexist about it. Because it was not a decision to give up wrestling… she was not saying ki ab main toh chhod dungi wrestling, ab toh ghar mein kaam karungi…
Would you choose motherhood over your career?
I would do the same thing. It’s not a planned pregnancy so if you have a child that’s coming… what are you going to do? The opposite is what? People are saying that we believe in feministic ideology and I’m saying that I do too. But you cannot say that choosing your career is being feminist and choosing motherhood isn’t. That’s wrong. The ability to choose is called being liberated.
Was Salman easy to deal with?
He is a bit intimidating because of his persona. Salman is not going to be fake around you. Sometimes people just make you comfortable. Salman won’t do that. He’ll be himself in front of everybody which is a great thing. But that can be very intimidating. He has a persona, he’s Salman Khan, man. And he does not talk much. And I am bad at making conversations. The other day Fawad Khan told me this is the first sentence you’ve spoken to me all day. And I was like it’s only because I don’t know how to make conversation. You understand?
Yes.
So I wouldn’t know what to say to Salman. One day as usual I didn’t know what to say to him. This was during the promotions. I was like we’re so quiet, I need to say something. So I asked ‘Are you having a trial at 9 o clock’ and he’s like ‘huh’ . Then I repeated myself and he’s like, ‘Am I? huh, I don’t know. My family must be having.’ That’s it. I asked him only because the last thing I remembered was Ali telling me that Salman is having a trial at 9. And I just said it because
I couldn’t think of anything else. Cut to, the next day Reshma (Shetty, Salman’s manager) calls Ali (Ali Abbas Zafar, director) and says
‘I think Anushka wanted to call some people at the trial, tell her Salman has said she should please invite her guests.’ So he thought that because I asked him about the trial I wanted to invite people. (Laughs) And I was like ‘Oh God! No no no no that’s not the reason why I asked if he’s having a trial.’ He thought I was feeling uncomfortable to ask him. So he spoke to Reshma. Which was very sweet of him.
So you’ve worked with the best directors, best actors… what’s left?
So much yaa… There are new things that have been added to my career now. I am a producer now. I didn’t think my life is going to turn out this way. I don’t even have the ability to think about my achievements… that’s the kind of person I am. And I’ve seen people talk about theirs but mujhe toh yaad bhi nahi rehta... But I’m grateful. I’ve gone through a time in my career where everybody was giving me advice about how I was handling my career wrong. People would tell me things like you’re not good at marketing yourself, your PR is not good enough, you should do more films, out of sight out of mind… these things just didn’t seem right to me and if something doesn’t feel right to me I can’t do it. I was like that’s not how you become successful. Do lots of films means what? Should I do stupid films? I’ve done films where the onus is not only upon the guy. I’ve worked with first time directors, new actors and all of that also. But there’s so much left.
You think you’re laid back about your PR?
Has that affected my career? It hasn’t. I feel like it doesn’t matter. Someone can be aggressive with PR and have a couple of unsuccessful films and you’re back to where you were. So it doesn’t matter. What matters is how well your films are doing and how good you’re in them. Right now, Sultan has done great things for me. The biggest thing is to be recognised in a Salman Khan film. And that happened because of my work, not PR. I know there is an increase in the number of people who like me now. I am experiencing it. Now it’s about the next film. I can’t be aggro about PR; I am not that kind of a person. I guess I’m shy and I find that I don’t like to be proud. There is a soft, subtle confidence that I have inside me and I play with it.
What do you feel with this constant trolling that goes on social media? Do you feel the need to explain yourself?
You start to think ki yaar isko ulta mat le lena, isko galat mat le lena. It’s because of social media. Telling someone they’re wrong or trolling them is like empowerment for some people. And I feel actors should realise this and shouldn’t take it to heart. I’ve been trolled more than anybody else. The maximum perhaps. I feel I shouldn’t pay attention to all this and just lead my life normally.
How do you remain detached?
Because it’s not a permanent thing. I’ll tell you why I’m like that. When I came into the industry, my first film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was huge. It was being produced by Yash Raj films, being directed by Aditya Chopra and it had Shah Rukh Khan. But it didn’t make me an overnight sensation. Did it? It did not.
You had your own journey to make…
Yes! I saw then how this place is. It’s fickle. Chadte sooraj ko sab salam karte hain. That’s just how it is. There is nothing wrong with it. That’s business for them. You can’t become personal and be like this one didn’t speak to me, this one said that to me. You have to be detached.
Did you lose out on films because you were not such a big star in the first few years?
Because I was with YRF that issue never came up. I did Badmaash Company and I’d signed Patiala House which was pretty good at that point. It had Askhay Kumar and Nikhil Advani. So it was never like arre I’m down in the slums. Rab ne... was supposed to be this big launch. But it wasn’t. Of course, there was recognition like she held her own against SRK. But aur kuch nahi hua. What gave me that push was Band Baaja Baaraat. A film opposite a newcomer with a first-time director. I realised that this is success. Where did you get it from? A good film, a performance. So that’s it. So that is what I made my yardstick. And that’s all that I understand. Today, Aditya Chopra is my mentor but he knows that just because he’s giving me a script doesn’t mean that I’m going to do it. That’s the kind of respect he gives me and that’s why I love and respect him so much. That’s what he told Ali when he was coming to narrate Sultan to me. He said, ‘agar usko script pasand aa gayi, toh woh puri tarah se usme ghus jayegi.’ And yes, I treat it as a job and I understand that it’s not permanent and it’s fickle and you can’t take it personally.
Out of the three Khans, who are you most comfortable with?
Shah Rukh. Purely because Imtiaz’s next is the third film that I’m doing with him. I know him from my first film. Toh usme hi itni saari awkwardness nikal gayi, jitna intimidation hona tha woh ho gaya. Right? With SRK, he talks a lot and you can just listen. And I am great with that. I just like to listen; I don’t need to say anything.
You said no to Tamasha. Apparently Imtiaz wanted to woo you with this film.
He does not need to do that. I’ve always wanted to work with Imtiaz. My career would be incomplete if I’d not done an Imtiaz Ali film. It’s as simple as that. He presents people, their emotions, flaws so well. There’s something so beautiful about his love stories. Like nobody is perfect. Nothing is perfect. Love is not correct. There are issues, there’s conflict, conflict of emotions and thoughts… fighting yourself and who you are and what love makes you or who you think you are... I’m a huge fan of his. Jab We Met was his first film I saw, and I was like yaar this is what I want to do, I could be an actress, mujhe karna hai aisa kuch because Geet was such a strong character. Kareena was so good in that film. It inspired me. To work with Imtiaz is a big deal for me.
You must be excited about Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, na?
Very excited. Again, like Imtiaz, Karan Johar is up there. I remember I have learnt the dialogue of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. If someone had told me fifteen years ago that you’re going to do a film with Karan Johar, I’d be like are you crazy? It was such a farfetched thought. I mean if you know from where I come and what life I’ve led, it’s like impossible.
So today sometimes I am on set and I look at Karan and I can’t believe it’s happening.
Is it easy being an actor and a producer?
If it hadn’t been for my brother, it would have been impossible. Sometimes even now, with him being there and him handling things… it feels like oh god, phew! It’s too much responsibility. When you come on a set as a producer you can’t do tafreeh na. You can’t chill on the set. Tabhi toh hazaar cheezein chal rahi hoti hai dimaag mein… But without my brother it would’ve been impossible.
Why would you want to turn producer at the peak of your career?
Firstly, it was instant. I was not thinking about it. I knew I would like to produce some time in the future. But when NH10 came to me and I read the script, I realised that this film needs to be made in a certain budget. I realised it was an adult film and on top of that it was hard hitting. It seemed right. I really believed in that script and in Navdeep (Singh, director). I just wanted to back that film totally. So that’s what happened.
You’re working with Diljit Dosanj in Phillauri. How did you zero in on him?
So Udta Punjab hadn’t released yet. We’d not seen anything of Diljit. I was on some flight and I was getting damn bored. So I started going through movies ka list on the iPad. There was a Punjabi film Jatt And Juliet. I just started watching it. Sometimes things just happen.I found this guy charming and funny and it was like yaar yeh alag hai. I think he was at the back of my head. So when we were casting for Phillauri, we weren’t getting the right person for the role. So one day I just asked my brother what do you think of Diljit? We hadn’t thought of our character with a pagdi. We knew that he only performs with a pagdi. So we were like what if the character wears a pagdi. We called the writer. He was excited about it. Now when we’ve seen him in the film, he’s very good.
It was a much publicised
break up and then you guys got back. I will have to ask you about it… Fair enough. I’ll tell you why I don’t want to talk about it. I was open about my relationship because I thought that’s me handling something maturely and I expected people also to handle it maturely. But I feel not everyone knows how to do that. All they are interested in is scoops. They unnecessarily sensationalise things like ‘Oh! They met.’ – If you’re dating someone you’ll meet them na? How can meeting someone become such big news? It was just too much. I was open about my relationship. As an actor, I was giving some of my best performances. But in an interview the headline would always be about my personal life. So I felt people didn’t know how to respect me as an actor. All they want to do is sell newspapers. Why should I be your scapegoat? Why should I harm my work for you? Why should I tell you about my relationship, hoping you won’t bother me? But if you’re only going to bother me with it then what’s the point? My life will still go on the way it is. I’ve always been open about myself. This is just a deterrent in my life. The kind of things that happened last year… like the kind of questions they would ask. You’re there to talk about a film and they want to ask you stupid high-school-kids questions like how did you meet each other. Grow up man. In the West too, actors date each other, are married, but when you read their interviews, their personal life is just part of the interview. But here interviews just become about your personal life. And because I am part of the entertainment industry I can’t shy away from this. Actors abroad are much protected. They are not allowed to talk to anyone. But I don’t have that kind of filter. Anyone can ask me anything. So this was the decision that I had to take.
Anushka Sharma Interview filmfare 2016
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