Anushka Sharma: It’s of prime importance to me I’m known for my work

By Durga Chakravarty

New Delhi, June 9  Actress Anushka Sharma says it is of utmost importance to her to be recognised for her skills.

“I have had an incredible journey, started off very well in the industry and got appreciated for the work I did. I stood out as an actor and it is of prime importance to me that I’m known for my work, and I think I established that as an actor,” Anushka told IANS.

In her acting career, Anushka has played roles as different as chalk and cheese. From the simpleton Taani in “Rab Ne Bana De Jodi” to the zestful Shruti in “Band Baajaa Baaraat”, from the considerate Jaggu in “PK”, to the strong-willed Meera in “NH10” and Rukhsana, a daughter of a victim of satanic rituals in “Pari”, she has donned different avatars.

“I took risks as an actor and a lot of them paid off. I think the ability that I have to take risks, to take bold steps with my career choices, has continued, and is reflective of me as a producer, because of the kind of content that we have chosen to produce,” she said.

Anushka shared that the content she has chosen has been different, and has pushed boundaries.

The actress said she wants to work towards unique content.

“When I’m taking bold decisions and I’m taking risks, I feel worthy of the position that I am in. I feel like I want to leverage that position I’ve made for myself as an actor to be able to push stories and back creative individuals and talent to create something genuinely unique and new. These have been the steps that we have taken and those steps have led us to a show like ‘Paatal Lok’,” she told IANS.

The actress is happy that she always tried to back herself.

“I’ve always had the courage to be able to do something different with my position.”

The actress, who is married to Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, launched her production banner Clean Slate Films in 2015 under which she has bankrolled films like “NH10”, “Pari”, “Phillauri” and the web-series “Paatal Lok”.

What has been more daunting for Anushka, producing films or acting in them? “At this point in life producing films is more daunting. Acting came naturally to me when I started. With producing, I feel like it requires a lot more decision-making, there are a lot of variables and there are things that are constantly changing,” said Anushka, who was born in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

She added: “So you have to be more strongminded. What happens with acting is that it’s a very individualistic process, like developing your character with the help of your director but mostly it’s the work that you do on your own. I think it’s easier to carry that forward.”

The 32-year-old actress says as a producer she gets to be a part of the entire process.

“There are so many things that change. There are so many things you need to be cognitive of. You have to be alert, you have to be making decisions at every stage and to get an entire team together to have the process moving along smoothly,” Anushka said.

Decision-making is always something that can be a hard thing to do, Anushka stressed. She agrees bankrolling films is tougher.

“So, I would say the job of a producer is more challenging. But for me, I love acting. It’s my first love and it’s something that I will always enjoy doing till the time I can walk and talk. I’m just happy that today in my life and very early on in my career, I have another way of expressing myself as a creative individual,” she said.

Anushka says she is in a happy space currently. “Apart from acting, I can also express myself as a producer. So, I think I’m really happy with this unique place I am in right now.”

(Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in)