Girl on Fire

You started your career at the age of 15. How did you balance your personal and professional life at such a tender age?

It proved beneficial for me as I did not really have to focus on my personal life much. Pursuing my career at a young age made me more flexible with time. I completely focussed my attention to acting and devoted all my time and efforts to bring out the best in me. I could not isolate myself from the general societal norm of getting into an educational institution or learning some skills. So, I started training myself in Tamil and Telugu. I indulged in stand-ups, which provided a medium through dialogues to learn different languages. So the major chunk of my initial career went in brushing my abilities and that paid off at the end of the day.

Read FHM India in the digital libraryEvery issue, every shoot, on TCG Media.

How has your family shaped your personality and who you turned out to be?

My parents are the foundation of my career. My mom played a major role in shaping me. She made huge sacrifices and devoted all her time on my growth. She not only uplifted me morally but also acted as an emotional pillar. Even my dad has played a very strong part of my film career. Whatever I have achieved to date could not have been possible without these two. They both have struck a balance in bracing my journey.

You started your movie career in Hindi cinema and later transitioned to Tamil and Telugu movie industry. How has the experience been so far?

With time, I have figured that there are no actual differences in the way films are shot. I do not prefer any specific film industry. You cannot generalise an industry on a linguistic basis as they are just a medium to communicate a story. Each film holds a different emotion and brings with itself an exclusive experience. They are diverse and possess different aura altogether. Every film opens into a new world because everything is unique in it and is designed from scratch. Doing films in multiple languages really aided my thought process in understanding how people in distinct parts of India perceive cinema. Film industries in our country highlight a deluge of cultures through films. Most of us live in cities so through the lens we see new vistas, the life of villages and different aspects, which we generally overlook.

Are you more open to doing a film in various other languages as well?

We belong to an era where the audience is not obsessed with language in which the film has been shot, but the content it delivers. This is a great time for us actors when languages are not a drawback and we need to focus on the storyline.

You have enjoyed success down South, but, unfortunately, your first few films in Bollywood weren’t appreciated as much. Does failure bother you?

Well, when I did my first two Hindi films, they were really good because they were anticipated films but they couldn’t survive long in the box office. That definitely slowed things down for me. And then I got a role in Bahubali, which was a huge turning point in my career. After that people started taking me a lot more seriously as an actor and that made me realise that what matters is the content of the film and the hard work you need to put in a project.

Since you have worked in a multitude of film industries. We’re curious, how many languages do you speak fluently?

After getting the flavour of so many diverse cultures, I am adept with Tamil and Telugu the most. I can also speak Hindi, English and Sindhi fluently. Sindhi is my mother tongue.

As an actor, how do you perceive the web series era? Are you willing to work in one?

For sure. I think it’s a wonderful platform. It is a different kind of format altogether. As we enter the virtual world of the Internet, web series have become the new star. It is a fresh medium for me which I would love to explore. I am definitely looking forward to being a part of web shows as well. I have yet not tried my hands even after getting several offers because of my preoccupations.

What qualities do you look for in your man?

I would like a man who is really sure of himself. He must be positive and does not need a push from others to make him feel good about his surroundings. He must also be confident about the things he does and should be a gentleman of complete integrity. I look for someone who is a happy-go-lucky guy. I am a person who is very chilled out in life, so I desire the same qualities in my man.

What are your thoughts on online dating? Do you think that you can find your true love on a dating app?

You can find your partner anywhere, literally. I cannot disclose who the person is, but someone really close to me found love online. You never know, your date may turn out pretty well if you meet someone online. If you have to choose your partner, there is no hard and fast rule that you’ll meet the right person immediately. There are chances of finding your true love on online dating applications. It has become very prevalent in our generation as it is a great medium to connect.

What has been your worst date? Also, if given an option, would you date a fan?

I consider myself very fortunate in this case because I have never been on a bad date. I have never had a strange experience with any of my dates, all of them were fine gentlemen. Also, I have absolutely no problem with dating a fan. If any of them have the same outlook, which I carry for certain things, then why not.

You have already earned a lot of brownie points with a large number of hits in the cinematic world. If given an option, what profession would opt for apart from acting?

Acting is something which is etched firmly in me. If not this then I would be doing something in the medical profession. I have a lot of people in my family in that occupation. Also, I am really intrigued by this field as I have always been surrounded by people associated with it.

We have noticed that you do not shy away from working on diverse projects that are unconventional. So tell us, which movie genre do you love the most?

I enjoy doing action films. I love various movements and expressions and it is always a treat to do films in this genre. Also because we don’t do a lot of action films in India and I find it much more exciting than other genres.

Which actor from Bollywood has been your constant inspiration?

Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi are my true role models. They are two people who at my initial stage in film career reflected the very image of what I should become in life. They were a huge influence on me for walking on this career path.

What’s your messiest habit that you would want to change?

I find a hard time keeping my handbag in shape. I have a huge tote bag, which carries half the world within itself. You can find the strangest things possible like a hammer maybe (laughs). I am a total hoarder and it is an impossible task to locate things in it, especially when I need them the most.

You have a picture perfect body and a glowing face. How do you maintain it?

I think it is a continuous learning process of what suits your body the most. Majorly it is the food that you are consuming because that actually defines how you are going to look. What you eat is what you become, it defines the pattern of how you feel. So, basically, it’s the food you eat which holds the prime importance. Also, you should keep your emotional and mental state at check. They are extremely important to make sure that your skin glows.

Tell us about your fitness regimen. Do you like Pilates or are you a yoga person?

I am a huge yoga fan. Apart from that, I also weight train a lot. I am into it very much. Though I hate doing cardio, I love Crossfit. I keep changing my form of training periodically. I also like to shock my body with these changes. But, my constants have been yoga and weight training. I can do them forever.

How does your diet chart look like? Do you have a cheat day?

I am a pure vegetarian. I have eliminated dairy products from my diet and also cut down on my sugar intake. I don’t really have a lot of food options. It makes me feel better internally. So, my platter usually consists of fruits and vegetables. I don’t plan my cheat day but after every 10 days I naturally end up craving for everything and I lose control over my diet.

We know that you love dancing and writing. Apart from that, what do you like doing in your spare time?

As my schedules are mostly packed, I like to give myself some personal time when I am free. I am mostly travelling so whenever I get spare time I spend it at home and indulge in get-togethers.

Lastly, we are already six months into 2019, what is on your bucket list that you wish to tick off before the year ends?

My bucket list is full of things which I want to learn. The prior most being driving.

Tell us a little about your future projects.

I just finished shooting for Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, which will be a pan India film. It is a historical war drama film with a very interesting script. Another film which I am doing is an action movie being shot in Tamil. It is my favourite genre and I’m very excited about this project.

Take Your Pick

• Work hard or play hard? Balance of both
• Online shopping or shopping in a store? Online shopping
• Netflix or YouTube? Netflix
• Take a cruise or travel by plane? Cruise
• Cardio or weights? Weights
• Hindi film industry or the South film industry? Indian films
• Horror or comedy? A horror comedy

Rapid Fire

• If you were invisible for a day, which celebrity would you like to stalk? Keanu Reeves
• An unusual food combination you swear by? Bread and Gulab Jamun
• If you could start a secret society for actors, what would be its goals be? Just a place where we could find all the good and amazing scripts
• One thing that you would never do for a film? I would never sit on a roller coaster
• If you could move anywhere in the world for work, where would you go? Wherever my work takes me, I’ll go
• What weird thing would you make socially acceptable if you could? It is how people perceive situations that make things weird and not the other way around.

Quick Favourites

• Actor: Hrithik Roshan
• Guilty pleasure: Donuts
• Book: The Secret
• Director: S. S. Rajamouli
• Holiday destination: Paris
• Cuisine: Thai
• Quote from a film: “I am just a girl, standing in front of a man, asking him to love me.”
• Colour: Black