Who’s that girl?’ is what many asked after watching her confident, reassured act in The Forgotten Army. The Kabir Khan-directed web series that released about two years ago, was a stepping stone to big Bollywood for Sharvari. The light-eyed actress has since then starred, alongside Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji and Siddhant Chaturvedi, in Bunty Aur Babli 2. With a three-film deal with Yash Raj Films on the anvil, The Telegraph chatted with Sharvari on the journey so far and the road ahead.
With The Forgotten Army and Bunty Aur Babli 2, you have been part of two biggies already. What have the biggest learnings been so far?
I think the biggest learning has been to move forward, no matter what. I learnt that from both my projects. When you do a project, you are so involved in it that you run the danger of getting stuck in it. So I have learnt to keep things moving and move forward, especially this year. For me, last year was just the beginning. I have been auditioning since so long but, in the true sense, I started only last year. I am really excited to go forward this year and see all that there is in store for me.
The one thing is that I have never thought of giving up. In the last seven years, more than the ups there have been a whole lot of downs but giving up on my dreams never occurred to me. I always kept feeling that the best is yet to come. I felt it so strongly in my bones that it just kept me going. Irrespective of the rejections I faced, I didn’t let my fire dim. I know I started working with a big director like Kabir Khan but if someone asks me what my biggest accomplishment has been so far, I would say it’s that I didn’t give up.
Is this sense of confidence inherently you?
For me, confidence has been born out of the situations that I have faced. I have always been confident enough to say what I want and do what I want.
The Forgotten Army had you in a central part and Bunty Aur Babli 2 helped you showcase a diverse range. How much has working in these projects helped you evolve as an actor?
We are in a time where we don’t have to follow the norms of what a heroine should be like, the ones that we have grown up watching. It’s so nice that today one doesn’t need to come in and just sing and dance in a film. In The Forgotten Army, I had such a complex role. It was a web series, it was a layered part, no glitz and no glamour... and then I had to switch and play a con artist (in Bunty Aur Babli 2), which was, based on the looks I had, essentially many roles in one. Our prosthetic looks were varied in terms of age group, language, body type.... I am really blessed to be playing such parts so early, and this is also a reflection of how our industry is changing. I really hope this change sustains because while growing up, we saw cinema in a very different way. I hope we as actors today can change that.
What sparked the interest in acting?
I never had the guts to tell my parents that I wanted to do this. I didn’t know what words I would use to tell them. I also didn’t know how to go about things. I knew I wanted to be an actor, but I didn’t know where to go to pursue my dream. Now I know that one can go to Aram Nagar (in Mumbai) and audition... but I had no idea back then (smiles). But I also knew that I had it in me to figure things out.
I won a ‘fresh face’ contest in college and my parents saw how much I enjoyed this. They saw how much I enjoyed acting, singing, modelling and dance. And then one day, my parents sat me down and asked me, ‘Do you want to be an actor?’ It’s then that I got the confidence to tell them that I did.
And growing up, I believe you were a big Madhuri Dixit fan....
Oh, I was a huge, huge fan! I remember Devdas had a huge impact on me... her dance, her screen presence, the way she looked... it was just pure art. I don’t think we have seen that happen again in a long, long time. There was Dil To Pagal Hai... and that song Humko aajkal (from Sailaab)... I loved her blow-dried hair and the Koli outfit that she wore. The more I watched her, the more I fell in love with her (smiles).
It’s interesting you mentioned Devdas because you have been an assistant director on the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani. What was that experience like?
There is actually an incident that had an impact on me on the set of Bajirao Mastani. We were shooting for Deewani Mastani and I was in charge of opening one of the doors that Deepika (Padukone, who played Mastani) would walk in through. I was very excited to do it. I was on the action unit and I would interact a lot with Ranveer (Singh, who played Bajirao) but I was meeting Deepika on set for the first time. So I was standing behind the door and we were doing the same shot many times and Deepika looked at me and asked me my name. That was because she didn’t want to refer to me or my colleagues as ‘AD’.
When such things happen, they make you realise that no matter how big a star someone is, what matters is how humble they are as human beings. What Deepika did made my day. I came home and told everyone that Deepika Padukone asked me my name just because I was opening a door for her! (Laughs) Not only Deepika, even Priyanka (Chopra Jonas) and Ranveer behaved so well with the team. And now, when I go on set, I make sure I do the same.
Baking to playing the keyboard to now learning Kathak, you love acquiring new skills. How much do these skills contribute to the actor in you?
As an actor, you keep playing so many different roles, and so you don’t know what you do on set may help you while you are on set. Learning a new dance form will always be helpful because at the end of the day, as an actor, it brings grace and rhythm to your body. I keep saying I love Madhuri Dixit and learning Kathak is a step towards that. I have been learning Kathak and also kick-boxing... I like learning new things every day. I can’t sit idle. Even if they don’t help me in my career, they help me, I feel, to become a better person.
A recent performance that influenced you?
I loved Scam (1992). I thought it was a show that’s so authentic to its roots. Pratik Gandhi was just fantastic in it. While watching it, I just wanted to sit back and learn a few things from him about acting.
What will we see you doing next?
I have a three-film deal with YRF (Yash Raj Films). I want to be a part of as many films as I can (smiles). Films that are important, films that make people laugh and cry, thrillers... I just want to be a part of many, many films. I know I am being greedy! (Laughs)