Anushka-Varun at Express Adda: When we land in trouble, no one helps, we dont want to take out morchas
By: Express News Service | Published: September 28, 20..
By: Express News Service | Published: September 28, 2018 2:48:40 am Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma at Express Adda.
Actors Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan were guests at the Express Adda in Mumbai last week. In a discussion moderated by Deputy Editor Seema Chishti, they spoke on the pressures of stardom, gender equality in the film industry and why Bollywood actors dont speak up.
On their debuts
Varun Dhawan: Before I became an actor, I did an ad film with Prahlad Kakar. I had given a fake name at the audition because I didnt want anyone to know whose son I am. I did some mimicry and other weird things. Somehow, he saw that tape and liked it. That was my start.
After Student of the Year (2012), I was thinking that Raju Hirani and Sanjay Leela Bhansali will offer me movies. None of this happened. The second film I got was Badlapur (2015). It didnt become my second film because every time I told my father or Karan (Johar) that Ive got this film in which Ive got to play a 40-year-old, they thought I was mad because my first film was Student of the Year. But, I was convinced that I had to do this. I knew I had to have a solo hit before I could do it. I knew that there was no way that the forces that be would let me do this film otherwise.
Anushka Sharma: Im an accidental actor. Modelling was the thing I wanted to do. I started very early. I was 14 years old when I did my first ad campaign. I would go to school and then, later, college, take some time off for my fittings and auditions and ads. In some time, I moved to Mumbai because I was getting called a lot to fashion shows here. Acting wasnt on my mind and, I think, its important to say this because for anyone not prepared to become an actor, a lot of things are very alarming. Firstly, I wasnt used to being recognised on the streets. I felt I had to behave a certain way. It was very taxing.
I happened to audition for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) and they liked my audition. It was a very big film so, obviously, I wasnt going to say no. The start was really good — being launched like any big Bollywood stars kid under the Yash Raj Films banner and opposite Shah Rukh Khan. It doesnt get better if youre coming from outside. The struggle was for the two-three years after that. At the time I debuted, I was 19. I was literally growing up in the industry.
On the pressures of being in the limelight
Anushka: You cant step out to do anything without being clicked somewhere. You feel like youre constantly being judged. There are a lot of preconceived notions about what an actor is like. When I said before that I struggled, what I was also trying to say was that I struggled because I was trying to be something and I didnt know what that something was. I realised after three years that I was just going to be the way I was. Ive learned to deal with the attention and constant judgment that happens. Its something you have to get used when youre a known person, especially an actor. A lot of times were not taken seriously.
The Indian Express Deputy Editor Seema Chishti (left) in conversation with actors Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma.
Varun: I got positioned as an entertainer and it was difficult for me emotionally because 24/7, I have to have this smile on my face. Im not like that off-screen. My mother keeps complaining that I only smile when Im out. Today, with the increasing amount of media, I have people clicking my photos all the time. I dont want that invasion of privacy. Sometimes, youre doing three films a year, plus ads and events. Im grateful for that but its easy to get burnt out in todays day and age.
Anushka: Sometimes, we have people come up to us and they dont ask for a picture and just talk about some film we did. I cant tell you what that feels like. It is the biggest compliment that they dont ask for a picture and just talk about our film. Sometimes, its just Can I get a selfie, and we give a selfie and it is done. A lot of journalists also openly ask about things which are not concerning our work. Its only on that Friday that we really get to show and tell people that this is what we are living for. We only get to do that when our film is in theatres.
On breaking the mould
Anushka: There were, maybe, four films in which I played these bubbly characters and people said that this is all I do. But, even before, people started saying that I didnt want to do them. When youre a newcomer, youre not offered so many roles. You can only choose out of the options you have and those were the options that I had. I wanted to do different roles and that happened only with NH10 (2015), which was the first film that I produced. The films I was doing also started changing for various other reasons. I started doing roles that were different and there started my need to constantly redefine myself as an actor.
Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Express Group, with Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan. Portraits presented to the actors were made by The Indian Express illustrator Suvajit Dey.
Varun: It is not easy to do anything if you want to do it well. Ill give you two examples. In Main Tera Hero (2014), we kept breaking the fourth wall. A lot of great actors have done it in the past. What Im trying to do — even when I was doing masala films — is something new. Even when I was doing masala films, I didnt want to do the same thing that people had seen superstars in the past do. I was trying to communicate to the younger audience at that time. I like this zone and I am also trying to reach out to the masses — This film is for you, too. I am your guy too. In case of Badlapur, the story struck a chord with me. Sriram Raghavan is someone I always wanted to work with. So is Shoojit Sircar. I have gone to them and said: Sir, cast me, Ill audition, Ill do whatever it takes to be a part of your vision.
On women-centric films and stories
Anushka: There have been many strong female characters that have been portrayed earlier, but then there was a phase when we were doing a lot of song-and-dance kind of films. In the present times, when Raazi (2018) and Veere Di Wedding (2018) do well at the box office, there is some kind of precedence that has been set over the years for something like this to happen. The audience has become more diverse. Today, you can do a NH10 and then a popular film like Sultan (2016). People are vocal about women-centric roles now.
“When youre a newcomer, youre not offered so many roles. You can only choose out of the options you have and those were the options that I had.”
Varun: Whenever we discuss stars or superstars, we rank the male actors first. If we start celebrating the stardom, acting and abilities of our female actors, its going take the pressure off the male actors. The more actors people watch, the better it is for the industry. Weve had the most amount of Rs 100-crore grossing films in 2018. Thats not only because of the male actors.
On decriminalising Section 377
Varun: It definitely opens the doors for more diverse roles. My mentor, Karan Johar, is very open about his sexuality but it has been difficult for him as well. Doing away with Section 377 is amazing and its going to have a huge impact on cinema. We are not far away from a daily soap on prime time TV about homosexuality.
On social media and fans
Varun: I still handle my social media myself. It was very exciting when it started but, now, the medium, in fact, all mediums, have become very manipulative. It is easier to buy views, it is easier to make anything trend and everyone can see through that. But something like pure fan love is good. Like the way it happened with our film Sui Dhaga (2018) and the memes on Anushkas character, Mamta, came up. I enjoy Insta stories the most on social media. I usually put out dance videos or music I enjoy because most of my target audience is children.
“Whenever we discuss stars or superstars, we rank the male actors first. If we start celebrating the stardom, acting and abilities of our female actors, its going take the pressure off the male actors.”
Anushka: Its a very personal relationship that you have with social media and you should decide how it is that you want to use it. How much do you want to engage? How much you want to put your life out there? I announced getting married over there so thats the kind of personal relationship you can have with your fans directly. But, at the same time, you are also at the receiving end of a lot of hatred, which, I think, is just not because you are an actor but because people are so quick to hate today.
On Bollywood taking a stand
Varun: Weve seen the biggest of stars take political positions and weve seen whats happened. When they land in trouble, no one helps. It only becomes a show for journalists. We dont want to take out morchas on the streets.
Anushka: Dont expect us to comment on everything happening in the country. As much as youd like us to believe that people value our opinion, they dont take us too seriously. Often, whatever we say ends up becoming a part of someones agenda. Instead, I will do this through my films. I will ask myself if the woman I am playing represents women correctly or is she being shown in a regressive way? I havent done a single item number, for example. But I dont want to be on a political debate on TV.
Varun: Its important to raise voice for the good. The tagline Made in India of our film, Sui Dhaga, is an example. There isnt anything wrong in it just because the current government supports it. Through this film, we are supporting local goods and artists.
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