Sara Ali Khan Interview: There is no genre that I wouldn’t pursue

In the crowd of rank newcomers who made their acting debut in 2018, Sara Ali Khan is the one who stood out and impressed all and sundry. Her debut vehicle Kedarnath (2018), co-starring Sushant Singh Rajput, emerged as a sleeper hit at the box-office and her second offering Simmba (2018)has just set the cash registers jingling by accumulating approximately ₹ 75 crores over the first weekend.

With two hits in her kitty and that too within a short gap of one month, Sara is being looked at as the next big thing in Bollywood. If reports are to be believed, she is in talks with big filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali for her next. In this interview, which happened a few days before the release of Simmba, the newbie talks to our Mumbai correspondent, Mohnish Singh, about the kind of response her first film received from fans and family, her transition from a serious role in Kedarnath to a light-hearted one in Simmba and, of course, how was it to work with Ranveer Singh and director Rohit Shetty.

Sara, did you celebrate the success of your debut film Kedarnath on a personal level? 

My celebrations are interviews, and I'm not being funny. This is extremely personal. It has been so hectic for the past three weeks as I have either been promoting Simmba or Kedarnath. It's been quite hectic. The only time that one gets to internalize what has happened is at interviews. So, I think that has been the biggest celebration and there is nothing more beautiful than celebrating with people that make you what you are. I think that I am what I am because of the media and the audiences.

You also attended a screening of Kedarnath wearing a burkha. What was the reaction like of the audience?

I sound like a sadist, but when people were crying in the climax, I was like ‘yes’. I feel if you are moved, permanently or at the moment, it is the most beautiful thing. And I have had the opportunity to be moved multiple times during the shoot of Kedarnath. It is my duty to move you for a second, and if I have done that, I feel we, as a team, have succeeded.

You resemble your mother a lot, Sara. Do you get compliments about that from people or your mother for that matter?

I don't know about acting, because she is an extremely fine actor and I think it's going to take me a long time to be able to be generally compared to her, but there is a weird resemblance that is almost obvious because this is the one thing, unlike acting, that you can say runs in genes. But what is really shocking is that there are these pictures of mom which I had not seen before. One day, when I wore purple lipstick and I was like ‘I'm so cool’ and just then I saw a picture of mom, clicked some years ago, in purple lipstick and I was like ‘wow’.

How did your family react to Kedarnath?

I'll be honest with you. There is no point in me saying anything. They are mom dad, so they are going to like it. I think my mom cried at the end of the film. My grandmother also watched the movie and she is also extremely proud. Though, as I have said, asking if my family liked the film will yield nothing because firstly, they are not going to tell me the bad and secondly, I am not going to tell you the bad (laughs). But I will tell you that she (grandmother, Sharmila Tagore) is also getting a lot of messages from people, and she messaged mom, which was a big one for me. That’s amazing, because if as a character you can bring audiences together and as an individual you can bring your family together even for 30 seconds, that’s something.

How was it to transition from an emotional film like Kedarnath to a dramedy one like Simmba?

Honestly, when you are playing a character, there is an abundance of emotions connected to that character and those emotions are not of the actors but the characters’. I am new to this field, so I don't know much. But from my experience, it doesn't matter if you are crying or screaming or laughing, because you are not feeling that, your character is. If your team is strong, it’s great. Fortunately, both my teams were strong. Gattu (Abhishek Kapoor) sir was there to keep an eye on my character in Kedarnath and Rohit sir’s whole team was there to do the same during the shoot of Simmba. Also, Sushant Singh Rajput was there as Mansoor, making sure I was true to Mukku and Simmba (Ranveer Singh) was here to keep an eye that Shagun is Shagun. So, that is how I was true to both characters.

Why did you choose Simmba as your second project?

I am a huge Rohit Shetty fan and honestly, I aspire for versatility. I have said that before, but I really mean it. There is no genre that I wouldn’t pursue. I will at least try once and if I don’t like it that is another thing entirely. With Rohit sir, he is the king of commercial film, knowing that he is doing a film with Ranveer Singh, I think the question would be why did you not want to do it? And I don't think anybody gives you an answer to that.

How was it to recreate the iconic song ‘Aankh Mare’? Did you enjoy while filming it?

I had a blast. It was a lot of fun. Before we shot the song, Ranveer said to me that, ‘You know if you want people to have fun in the song, the safest and easiest way to ensure that is to have fun yourself when you're shooting it. So, know the steps, know everything, but ultimately when you're there, you are at a rave and I'm the most fun guy ever.”

I don't know if I could match his energy and I don't think I had because it’s Ranveer Singh. But I think I have tried to stand my own to the best of my abilities and I think that has a lot to do with Ganesh sir (choreographer) and the fact that I was honestly having fun. So, even when I watch it today, I have fun watching it because Ranveer, of course, being the biggest star in our country is a bright guy and he is right when he says that if you have fun that fun is captured for you to see, for you to feel, and for you to show which is what I think is resonating.

The interreligious relationship is a touchy subject. How do you think Kedarnath portrayed it so successfully?

I don't think that anything is a formula. You know this works or this doesn’t work. As a newcomer, I have sat in every interview and said that the only thing I followed was my conviction. I don't know if anything is safe or unsafe. I think that Kedarnath resonated with people because the entire team working on this film had conviction in what they were saying. It is not about a Hindu and a Muslim, it is about in the face of larger things in life, it doesn’t matter what religion, what gender or what your social status is. The main focus should be to fight for our lives together.

Initially, people looked at you just as another star-kid making her debut in films, but now they are taking you more seriously as an actor.  Do you feel any burden?

I don't think it's a burden, I think it's a give and take. All that is done has made me very aware that I need to do better work. I need to do more work and I need to work harder because your battles keep changing. Every time there are new challenges. Now the challenge is not to search for acceptance because I think honestly, and I'm not just saying this, I have worked very hard. I have tried my level best with Kedarnath. I deserve the 80 per cent of the praise I am getting 20 per cent is a combination of good karma and the fact that people are genuinely liking me and I don't think that they are being able to go to the cinema hall and be unbiased. I know that this is happening and I need to make sure that you guys love my work. I'm going to work doubly hard so that that sweet girl can be appreciated 100 per cent because right now you're a little confused.

How was it to work with Rohit Shetty?

I had a blast every single day on set. I don't think that it's sensible for me as a newcomer to talk to you about the way Rohit Shetty works because everybody knows. But I'll tell you two things. One is that he is just the most hands-on outstanding team leader. On his set, if you ask the spot boy, he will know the next shot. Everybody knows everything because we have blocked the scene the previous night. Rohit sir’s work ethic is just amazing. And the fact that he is so giving that there is not one day on set where he expresses that ‘I am Rohit Shetty’. I don't even know how you can walk without doing that because it's all over him. He is the Rohit Shetty. But apart from the fact that he has this really cool walk, there is nothing else about him where he will go out of his way to prove his abilities to you. That's why I think that he has the amount of goodwill that he does and that's why he has a team that has been with him for 10 years.