The Power Within

Her fire burns bright and beautiful, so much so that it will leave you reeling. Nikita Sawant delves deeper into the enigma that is Anushka Sharma, and comes back charmed.

- Nikita Sawant

There’s something about Anushka Sharma that makes you pause, awestruck. Is it her inimitable talent as an actor? Her ability to stand her ground unwaveringly and make herself heard? At the Femina cover shoot, she asks for Cardi B’s badass Bodak Yellow to be played on loop, a song that’s essentially for OG boss ladies like herself. She sails through the shoot, posing in time to the thumping beats of the track, making the entire process look like a breeze.

The megastar is never predictable. Just when you think that she’ll choose safer films, at the peak of her stardom, she goes ahead and does movies like Phillauri and Pari. Clearly, she doesn’t do the humdrum. With two big releases lined up for this year—Sui Dhaaga with Varun Dhawan and Zero with Shah Rukh Khan— Sharma’s repertoire will be even more diverse. And it’s not just her films that define her; it’s also her humanitarian work and love for animals that make her a crowd favourite. We speak to the artiste about power and what it means to her, being real in an increasingly affected world, and her biggest achievement till date.

What attracted you to acting?

I didn’t want to become an actor. I was modelling when I happened to do an audition for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. I didn’t know what I was auditioning for. I didn’t think too much or expect too much. But it went really well, and I got the film.

You made your debut ten years ago in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi opposite Shah Rukh Khan. How have you changed as a person and as a performer since?