Anushka Sharma says Sui Dhaaga: Made in India and Pari were the 'two most difficult films' of her career

Anushka Sharma is the only actress to star in two Rs 300 crore films - PK (with Aamir Khan) and Sultan (with Salman Khan), and that too, she broke the norms with meaty parts in these films paired with superstars. And now, with the success of her recent release  _Sui Dhaaga_  (opposite Varun Dhawan), the actress, who initially wasn’t too convinced about playing the part, says, that she feels empowered with the choices she has been making. Anushka, who started her Bollywood journey exactly 10 years ago, with Aditya Chopra-directed, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, opposite Shah Rukh Khan, followed by Band Baaja Baaraat (2010, with Ranveer Singh), says in an exclusive chat with Firstpost, “I never regret when I look back. All the things that have happened in my life, the ups and downs, I have been very fortunate, very grateful that I have seen a lot of success in my career. But, at the same time whenever I have felt challenged in any way those have all been stepping stones to where I have come today.”

“I am very happy with the success of Sui Dhaaga because as an actor I have always made some very unconventional choices in my career. Even when I was doing big ticket films like Sultan or PK, my characters have not been undermined or over shadowed that usually happens with female characters in big ticket films. They have been acting driven roles and those things I have always valued. Even with the choices that I have made with Sui Dhaaga or NH10 or  _Pari_ , the fact that they have been appreciated and liked I feel my choices have got validated because as an actor you want to feel encouraged for the things you do especially if you are trying to do something different. That really empowers me a lot,” says Anushka, who got married at the peak of her career (December last) and immediately rushed off her feet promoting her film, Pari. The shooting and prep for Anand L Rai’s  _Zero_ , with Shah Rukh Khan; and Sui Dhaaga  — had also started early in 2018.

[caption id=“attachment_5077631” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”]  Anushka Sharma as Mamta in a still friom Sui Dhaaga: Made in India. YouTube[/caption]

“I am also very excited about Zero (releases on 21 December) and hopefully again it will be a memorable role in people’s mind. It is a very, very special film, it is really something that will enthral the audience,” says Anushka, who, however believes that actresses have always been doing interesting roles since time immemorial. “Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Jaya Bachchan, Waheeda Rehman… they have all done such phenomenal roles and it will continue to happen,” she says.

Though Anushka was confident about the content of Sui Dhaaga, she wasn’t too sure about the character she had to portray (that of an embroidery artist belonging to the heartland). “From the very beginning I was very much convinced about the film because it was making a strong point. I knew that it would connect with people but for me the conflict in my mind was will I be convincing and able to pull off as this person. I knew for the fact that I have a certain personality, people have seen me in a certain way. I knew that Sharat (Katariya, director) made realistic cinema and has Dum Laga Ke Haisha to his credit. I didn’t want to stick out looking unbelievable because so far all my characters had a profession. Here, I had to play a submissive housewife. Initially I felt the character was absent and was bland,” says Anushka, who says that Pari and Sui Dhaaga are the two most difficult films of her career.

“Because these characters are very different from who I am as a person. In Pari, I played a demonic character, she is almost unstable. There is no comparison that you can make with that character but with Sui Dhaaga’s Mamta you know people like her. You could see Anushka in her but I was very happy when people said that they didn’t see Anushka at any point in the film. For me that was the victory,” she says, furthering, “Lot of times, as actors we feel that when you work really hard on films and you have to learn certain skills, like for instance I had to learn wrestling for Sultan, one may feel that is very difficult, but for me a role like in Sui Dhaaga is far more difficult to do. It’s something which is so opposite from your personality.  It was an uphill task for me. But when Sharat explained to me that why he thinks I actually fit being Mamta, I felt I need to have more faith in myself,” she adds.

Anushka says she had to exercise restraint to create the character as raw and real as had been envisioned by Katariya. “After doing Sui Dhaaga I have realised that as an actor you can do everything, and the fact that people have praised my performance in the transformation, I feel confident that you can become anybody and it is all within you. It is just that you have to control certain things of your own personality which are not that of your character,” she says. She continues, “For instance, I am more reactive as a person, you say something to me and my reaction will be much quicker, whereas my character’s quite unsure of what she is saying. She knows it all, she is very strong-willed but she doesn’t have the luxury of  expression that perhaps I have because I have lived in an environment where what I said was listened to, where I was asked for my opinion. She couldn’t express her feeling which was very difficult. Literally for me it was becoming the person.”

[caption id=“attachment_4407937” align=“alignnone” width=“1200”]  Anushka Sharma. Twitter[/caption]

Talking about her prep, Anushka says, “I would wear my sari and just be on sets. I would do my workshop and reading in sari. I tried to change my body language, the speed with which I speak…I had to always remember that my character is not very expressive and she will always hesitate before saying anything and even her laughter will not be out there and everything will have to be felt. But what’s shocking is that in this film I got into the character on the first day though usually I take three to four days. That’s because my prep was long and it was not just about sewing, stitching but feeling and becoming Mamta, observing women who are like Mamta. She has strength, she has courage, she has the drive but her expression is something else. Lot of people told me that you are playing such a simple person, and I would tell them that she is anything but simple, she may be simple looking. She is a dynamic woman.”

Not many know that earlier a film with Anushka and Varun, which was supposed to be directed by Katariya got shelved and they were paired together for the first time in Sui Dhaaga. Anushka is all praise for Varun. “I admire Varun’s dedication as an actor. Even the choices that he has made in his career have been interesting. Not just successful but he has done very different films which is most important. I am always going to be rooting for Varun. He is a very genuine person and he is one of the nicest people I have worked within the industry that is very hard to see. He is one of my favourite co-actors. We hadn’t met before, not even socially and that helped because in the film we get to know each other along the way," says Anushka, further adding, “Me and Varun find each other very funny and we laugh about the most bizarre things that lot of people may not find funny. We have always had lot of fun on sets and we have also been on the same page as actors,” says the actor-producer for who Box office success is extremely important. “Because ultimately you want to reach out to more and more people and that is what it shows. Also, it depends upon the kind of films you are doing, then considering the budget you must have that kind of assessment."

This brings us to her role as a producer, and Anushka is all set to make her digital debut with a Delhi-based cop drama for streaming giant Amazon Prime Video. The series produced by Anushka will have NH10 and Udta Punjab fame writer Sudip Sharma as the showrunner. Sudip Sharma was also the creative producer on Anushka’s previous production and acting venture, Phillauri. “As a producer I try and make different kind of films to give a different voice. I want to tell a story which is interesting and unique. In that sense, while NH10 and Pari were more of serious nature, Phillauri was a much lighter film. But the concept will always be very different and unique. Now I am very happy that we will be making a TV show with Amazon, it will go on floors in January. We are doing the creative work that we wanted to do. I feel it is a huge victory that even though I don’t have to act in everything I produce but the fact that the company that is investing their money with us still see us as able producers, that is what I had aimed at,” says Anushka, while revealing that her PR will make an announcement of her next film soon.

(Also read: Anushka Sharma, Varun Dhawan's Sui Dhaaga explores a new hero — the undervalued Indian artisan)