Looking Beyond Imperfections

You have lived in Mumbai all your life, tell us about the most fun times you have had in the city.

I can’t live in any other city but Bombay. I absolutely love it. I have grown up here, I have my entire family and friends circle here. But more than that, it is the life in this city that is breathtaking. I went to Jai Hind College, thus, travelling by train every day was such an amazing part of my life. Just to walk around, go to Nariman point, go to Priyadarshani park, the list is endless. I live in Juhu, so the Juhu beach is one place I’ve always gone to and hung around with my friends at Bandstand and Carter road. I have eaten at every stall and walked around every street aimlessly, especially during the rains. This aimlessness of just exploring the city for me was the most memorable experience growing up.

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You are not an alien to the world of acting. Your father, Tanvir Bharucha is a renowned theatre actor. Was it him who inspired you to take up theatre and eventually acting in Bollywood?

My father has been very artistically inclined. He paints well, draws well, loves music and watches movies and theatre. He is so rich in his experiences when it comes to art, that it got inculcated in me from a young age. I would definitely give him credit. If he hadn’t opened up my mind in the way that he had experienced art, I don’t think I would have taken that much interest in acting. It was my father who took me to my first theatre workshop and told me that I should try it and just have fun with it. Who knew I would eventually be an actress and work in plays and films.

Having done theatre, if you were to compare it with the film industry, is acting on stage easier or difficult as compared to acting in films?

Acting in theatre and acting on stage is far more difficult than acting in films. To portray a character live in front of an audience, without having any retakes and time for preparation scares the life out of me. I have done a few plays where I played smaller parts, which didn’t scare me much. The real acting job is when you play these amazing characters from start to finish and get to do various activities on stage and make sure to get your cue right or not block anyone. I don’t think I could be on stage anytime soon, I need a lot of practice.

You have been in the film industry for more than a decade, what challenges did you face professionally and personally while chasing your dream?

My biggest challenge was convincing my family to have faith in me and helping them understand that I could make a living out of acting and it’s not just a hobby. The film industry is a very unpredictable field, you’re getting offers today, tomorrow you may not. They say a Friday either makes you or breaks you. This is perhaps my biggest challenge on a personal level. Professionally, the space for good actors, films, and scripts has just opened up. Even if you don’t fit into the mould of a typical heroine, you will still have a career in films. I honestly believe that it takes only one person to have that belief in you and cast you. Being accepted largely as a heroine by more people was challenging initially.

Despite your stellar performance in Pyaar Ka Punchnama series, you were majorly credited for your anti-hero character in Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. Do you feel working on out-of-the-box roles will help you grow more as an actor?

More than out-of-the-box roles, it is the stories that matter. It is the basic plot or a theme which connects with the audience. Pyaar Ka Punchnama series was made specifically for the youth. Since the genre of the films was humour, we had to be the girls who were creating the punchnama to justify our characters. In Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, I turned a complete 360-degree post the interval, but that was the requirement of the film. I genuinely believe that the film is and will always be larger than the person in the film.

Looking back, would you have done anything differently?

As an actor, I am constantly questioning myself if I gave the right expression or did I select the movie right. If you ask me to work on those films again, I’d probably do all of them differently. In terms of performances, I’d do everything differently as well, but in terms of choices, maybe not. My choices have made me who I am. Even the mistakes that I committed made me grow into the person I am today. I don’t think I would go back and change them either.

Criticism is an inevitable part of the profession that you are in. How do you react to constructive criticism?

Criticism is inevitable, not just in my profession, but life in general. My parents have a certain critique of me, my friends have a certain critique of me. In the future, my partner and kids will have a certain critique of me. It is something you cannot escape. I like to hear what people think of me as there are different perspectives and point of views and I’d like to understand how someone feels after watching my performance. I’d probably sit down and listen to every thought as some people can get quite imaginative.

It’s hard to get a perfect gym body and harder to maintain it. Walk us through your fitness regimen.

I am a foodie at heart. I’ve always been petite and since I’m blessed with a very good metabolic rate, I do tend to eat unhealthy stuff sometimes and it doesn’t show. I have my cheat days as well and I don’t think I can diet all the time as food makes me happy from within. When I’m having a bad day, I will eat one particular food item and I know it will make me happy. I do go to the gym later to burn it all off and follow a cleaner diet. I also make it a point to play a sport. I have a badminton court in my building and if I’m not in the mood to go to the gym, I play badminton and I put in 3-4 hours in the night with my parents or friends. It adds an extra boost of cardio for me, plus it’s fun. I try to mix-and-match things that work for me and sweat it out.

If you were given an option to eat one food item without gaining any extra pounds, what would that be? Do you indulge in cheat meals?

I would eat banoffee pie. It’s my favourite dessert. I wish I could eat the whole pie.

Your favourite fashion icon whose wardrobe you would like to sneak into?

I love Gigi Hadid’s style, I think she’s amazing. Whether it’s athleisure or fashion, she looks good in everything. I do stalk her on social media and I wish I could take everything from her wardrobe.

Tell us about the worst date you’ve ever been on. If you were on one, how did you get out of it?

I’m a little sceptical about dating. I’m very happy with chilling with my friends and doing fun things with them. Dating is not my kind of scene.

If you could describe the perfect man in three words, what would it be and why?

I don’t think there’s anything like the perfect man. I think we are all imperfect in our own ways and it’s just about finding that person with whom you can be imperfect. We both can enjoy our imperfections and still find a way to love and respect each other, be with each other for a long, long time. That is ideal, so I can’t possibly think of three words.

Women are believed to be very complicated. Is there a trick to win their heart instantly?

People are complicated, not just women. I’m sure men are equally complicated. And jitne complicated log hain, utne simple log bhi hain. It is all about what your equation is with the person and how you connect with them. I don’t think there’s anything complicated in that and it’s actually quite simple.

The trend is such that virtually every actor is dipping their toes in web series. What is your take on the platform? Would you be willing to work in a web series if you were offered a role?

The platform of web series and web content has grown so much. There are so many good stories being made and shot. Of course, it opens up space for us to be able to experiment and explore, put ourselves out there as creative beings. I would love to do a web series if something interesting comes my way.

You recently did a fun song with Siddharth Malhotra for his film Marjaavan, how was the experience?

It was a lot of fun. Music and dancing for me have always been very special. The song is such a peppy number, I am really glad I got a chance to be a part of it. The whole crew laughed and joked around during the shoot and it is the best kind of work when you enjoy it.

How has 2019 treated you so far? Anything in your bucket list that you would like to tick off before the year ends?

2019 has been a great year. I’ve been working non-stop and two of my films will be releasing this year. I think that one thing I would like to tick off before the year ends is a holiday with my girls somewhere, it would be perfect.

Quick Favourites

• Day of the week: Any day can be a Sunday or Monday. No favourites, they’re all the same.
• Guilty pleasure: Almond milk coffee
• Song: Tera yaar hoon main from Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety
• Cuisine: Japanese
• Ice cream flavour: Salted caramel
• Luxury brand: Chanel, Dior, and so many more
• Holiday destination: Greece
• Web series: Stranger Things
• Director: Imtiaz Ali

Take Your Pick

• French fries or salad? Salad with french fries
• Hill vacations or chill by the beach? Chill by the beach
• Tattoos or piercings? Tattoos
• Heels or sneakers? Heels
• Wine or whiskey? Wine
• A good looking guy or a witty guy? A good guy who makes me laugh
• Sonu Ke Titu ki Sweety or Pyaar Ka Punchnama? Sonu Ke Titu ki Sweety

Rapid Fire

• If you had to make a film where you are Sonu, who would you cast as Titu and Sweety? I would cast Vicky Kausal as Titu, rest I’m not sure.
• If you woke up one morning as Salman Khan, what would you do? I’d say let’s call Nushrat for a cup of coffee and get to know her a bit. I love Salman.
• Kill, marry, hook-up: Kartik Aaryan, Rajkumar Rao, Siddharth Malhotra Hook-up with Siddharth, marry Raj because he’s super cool, and kill Kartik, been with him for a long time now.
• On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself as an actor I can’t rate myself as an actor. Maybe when I’m retired then I’ll be able to.
• What would you do if a woman hit on you? Unquestionably enjoy the attention and think of amazing comebacks to hit back on her.
• One thing that makes you feel sexy? My clothes
• If you were a product, what would be your tagline? You get what you see
• The last person you would go for fashion advice? My PR
• The hottest actor in the film industry right now? Ranbir Kapoor, no doubt.
• Please tell us a little about your future projects. Dream Girl with Ayushmann Khurrana, Turram Khan with Rajkummar Rao, and Hurdang with Sunny Kaushal.

From the August 2019 issue of FHM India.