Sharvari has had an incredible year so far. She has had a Rs 100-crore hit in Munjya, a strong role in Maharaj and an Independence Day release in Vedaa, which marked her first outing as the titular protagonist.

Now, the 27-year-old stunner has just wrapped up a schedule of Alpha, the first female-led film in the Yash Raj Films spy universe, co-starring Alia Bhatt. A t2 chat.

With Munjya, Maharaj and Vedaa, it has been a fruitful year for you. How do you look back at the last few months?

Professionally, this has been the best year of my life. I wasn’t expecting any of this. I have had some delayed releases but I am just very, very grateful to be able to experience this... I am grateful that my work is out there right now.

Munjya made more than Rs 100-crore in theatres and has just had a digital release. You must be getting new feedback as more and more people are watching it on streaming now...

Yes, my Instagram is flooded! There was, of course, a lot of feedback when it released in theatres in June and with its digital release, things have blown up again. People are making their own edits on social media and sending in DMs. There are many who missed it in theatres and are watching it on OTT (Disney+Hotstar) now. The response is incredible... it feels like my film has released all over again.

Now when you look back, what do you think worked for it?

In my opinion, there are two things. First, the film is very rooted. There are so many cultures and regions in our country and the minute we start representing them on screen, we find an audience who feels that they are seen. Also, the story of friends coming together and fighting a battle — big or small, whatever that may be — is such a universal emotion.

Of course, the main factor would also be Munjya, the kind of ghost nobody had seen before in Indian cinema. It is an entirely CGI-created character. All these factors coming together made the film special and I think that is what drove audiences to, at least, come and watch the film once.

What were your biggest takeaways from being a part of Vedaa, which was your first film named after your character?

Vedaa is a film that I am extremely proud of. It touches upon a few topics which I feel should start conversations. I am proud of being a part of a film that wants to make some kind of an impact on society. The film had its heart in the right place and it was such a big honour to play a part that had so much courage, grit and power in the face of adversity.

Even as a person, the part has inspired me. There are some characters and thoughts that stay on with an actor for some time after playing them and I have found a lot of inspiration and confidence from the character of Vedaa. I see this immense change in myself after playing her.

Has it made you a better performer?

Yes, 100 per cent. Before this, I had not got a role like this that I could bite into as much. Vedaa is a character where I got to work on the entire life of a girl, the region she comes from... to be able to understand her language, the way she speaks, sits, talks, eats, her family dynamic... these things formed part of my prep. Whether that can be seen on screen or not is a completely different thing, but you still have to prep these things... that is the only way to build characters.

The script of Vedaa really aided me and demanded me to work that hard, especially when it came to studying a different region, a different dialect and even a different thought process. This is a girl who is strong enough but doesn’t fight back till the time her back is against the wall. It was a really enriching experience as an actor.

Has the extreme physical prep for Vedaa been helpful while doing the high-octane sequences for your YRF spy film Alpha, or is the action in the two films completely different?

There is no similarity in the action in these worlds. However, what has come in handy for Alpha is that I had already extensively worked on my fitness while prepping for Vedaa. I had trained in boxing too. To give you an example, before I started training for Vedaa, I couldn’t do a single push-up! Because I played a boxer in Vedaa, push-ups were really important and I had to stretch myself to learn how to do them.

Even after finishing Vedaa, I would keep training every day so my body would remember. And, of course, it also gives one immense confidence. So when I started training for Alpha, there were a few things that I already knew how to do and I just had to better it from there.

You are part of the YRF spy universe as well as the horror-comedy universe from Maddock Films. While it is definitely a high, does it also put a wee bit of pressure on you?

I don’t see it as pressure because these opportunities have taken a long time to come to me. I started auditioning from 2014 and it took me five years to get my first project, which was The Forgotten Army (a web series directed by Kabir Khan). It took me another six years to get Bunty Aur Babli 2. I had no release for three years after Bunty Aur Babli 2.

I have experienced a lot of ups and downs. Now that these opportunities have come knocking at my door, I want to give it my 200 per cent. I want to make sure that I am great at what I am doing right now because it is really important for my survival. I have seen days without any work, I have seen days without any releases where people didn’t even know me or the fact that I was a part of films, and I am talking about people within the industry and not those outside. Now that I am a part of two big universes, more than pressure, I feel a sense of responsibility.
Other than that, I am here to have fun.

How did you keep yourself going during the low phase?

I have always wanted to be an actor. I hadn’t thought of any other thing. I have always loved the movies and going to the theatre and getting transported into a completely different world. The fire within me was always burning and I always had hope even in the face of disappointment. I always felt I would get there. That doesn’t mean that I wasn’t upset when I was rejected or when I didn’t have any films. But even then, I told myself that my time would come.

I give my parents the credit for my confidence and positive attitude. These kinds of things come with a certain upbringing... this is not something I have suddenly developed. I have always felt that if I work hard, then I will eventually be rewarded for it.

What did you think of Stree 2, the latest addition to the horror-comedy universe that you are a part of?

I loved Stree 2! I watched it only yesterday because I was shooting in Kashmir for Alpha and before that, I was busy promoting Vedaa. I landed in Mumbai yesterday and went to watch Stree 2. I thought it is such a fun, adventurous film with a cool storyline. The energy of all the actors was incredible... one could sit and watch their banter forever! I laughed so much in the theatre!

You have just completed a schedule of Alpha in Kashmir with Alia Bhatt. How would you describe that experience? Two women headlining a spy film is really exciting!

Working on Alpha, every single day, is a dream come true. Alia and I put up a picture of ourselves the day we started the shoot... it was all heart, all love and we got to shoot in such a beautiful location. I am grateful to be a part of a film that is so new, so different and so courageous. To have two women headline such a big spy film is the most incredible feeling.

Is there a certain role or genre that you really want to attempt in the next year or so?

I am a huge fan of love stories but I have never done an out-and-out love story yet. I really want to do one and I am looking forward to it.