Anushka Sharma: People Constantly Judge Actors & Form A Strong Opinion Without Knowing Them Much!
Anushka Sharma indulges in some candid chat about Jab Harry Met Sejal, the pros and cons of being an actor, sexism in the industry and much more.
Features
oi-Madhuri
By Madhuri
There's
a
radiant
glow
on
Anushka
Sharma's
face
inspite
of
being
dead
tired
with
the
hectic
promotions
of
Imtiaz
Ali's
Jab
Harry
Met
Sejal.
Settling
on
a
chair
in
front
of
us,
she
quips,
"Thanks
guys,
how
are
you
all
doing?'.
Later,
we
ping
pong
the
same
question
to
her
and
pat
comes
the
reply,
'Very
fresh.'
The
smile
on
her
face
just
refuses
to
fade.
Over
to
the
spunky
actress
who
speaks
her
mind
on
Shahrukh
Khan,
stereotyping
Gujarathis
in
her
upcoming
film,
the
importance
of
a
director
in
an
actor's
career
and
a
sort
of
eye-opener
on
sexism
in
the
industry.
Excerpts
from
the
interview-
'Shahrukh
Khan
Is
Still
The
Same
As
A
Person'
Q.
This
is
your
third
film
with
Shahrukh
Khan.
Has
he
changed
as
a
person?
How
is
your
equation
with
him?
A.
I
think
our
equation
has
got
better.
Simply
because
I
am
now
more
confident
as
an
actor.
My
relationship
with
him
is
better.
He
is
still
the
same
as
a
person.
He
has
always
treated
me
nicely.
He
is
very
supportive
of
me
on
a
personal
level.
When
I
was
a
nobody,
he
was
so
nice
to
me.
Q.
If
in
real
life,
if
you
end
up
facing
a
similar
situation
like
Sejal,
how
would
you
react?
A.
I
would
have
caught
the
flight
and
left.
(laughs)
'Can
You
Say
That
No
Gujarati
Speaks
Like
That?'
Q.
Your
character
in
the
film
speaks
a
heavily
accented
Gujarati.
A
lot
of
people
felt
that
you
ended
up
stereotyping
the
community.
What's
your
take
on
it?
A.
"Can
you
say
that
no
Gujarati
speaks
like
that?
See,
we
expect
a
representation
that
we
have
made
in
our
head
about
it
but
that
is
not
how
it
works.
This
is
not
to
someone's
liking
no?
If
you
can
tell
me
for
a
fact
that
no
Gujarati
speaks
this
way
I
would
accept
ki chalo theek hai.
In
fact,
I
had
asked
Imtiaz
the
same
thing
and
he
had
said
that
he
has
met
girls
who
speak
this
way
and
that
is
what
he
found
charming
about
them.
Also,
the
way
in
which Sejal
speaks,
it denotes
her
limited
experience
she
has
had
in
life.
She
is
someone
who
has
gone
to
a
Gujarati
medium
school
and
has
been
only
amongst
her
cousins
and
family.
She
lives
in
a
very
constrained
environment.
That's
why
she
has
such
a
limited
exposure."
'What
I
Like
About
Imtiaz
Ali
Is
That
His
Female
Characters
Are
Very
Well-Defined'
Q.
You
have
done
love
stories
earlier
as
well.
But
what's
so
different
when
you
are
working
with
Imtiaz
Ali
who
is
known
for
his
intense
love
stories?
A.
There
is
a
very
interesting
manner
in
which
Imtiaz
works.
He
understands
his
characters
in
the
films
very
well.
He
gives
you
a
proper
backstory
for
every
character.
Not
every
director
provides
you
with
that
kind
of
data.
So
with
Imtiaz,
you
just
have
to
follow
his
vision.
I
have
always
appreciated
his
work
and
liked
the
characters
that
he
has
brought
on
screen.
I
liked
the
simplicities
and
complexities
that
they
have.
What
I
like
about
Imtiaz
is
that
his
female
characters
are
very
well
defined.
There
is
a
journey
that
they
have.
The
coming
in
age
of
a
character
through
a
process
of
falling
in
love
with
somebody.
Even
Sejal
has
her
journey
of
finding
her
true
self
and
connecting
with
it.
'I
Wish
I
Was
A
Little
Bit
Street-Smart
Like
Sejal'
Q.
If
you
ever
had
to
imbibe
a
trait
from
Sejal
in
your
real
life,
what
would
that
be?
A.
I
wish
that
I
was a
little
bit
old
street
smart
like
her.
She
can
get
out
of
any
situation
very
intelligently.
'It's
Only
The
Director
Who
Can
Add
Value
To
Your
Career'
Q.
You
have
worked
with
great
directors
like
Late.
Yash
Chopra,
Rajkumar
Hirani
and
now
Imtiaz
Ali...
A.
The
fact
that
they
chose
me
over
everybody
else
makes me
feel
very
special.
Maybe
I
am
doing
things
right.
I
think
that
it's
nice
that
you
are
somebody
whom
so
many
different
visionaries
are
imagining
in
their
stories.
I
feel
proud
of
this.
Utimately,
its
only
the
director
who
can
add
value
to
your
career
and
give
you
that
diversity
as
an
actor.
I
am
very
happy
that
I
got
this
opportunity."
Q.
You
have
a
great
fan
following
in
the
South
as
well.
Would
you
ever
take
up
a
Tollywood
film?
A.
There
are
no
plans
as
such.
But
if
something
comes
up...I
think
I
find
it
very
difficult
to
do
a
film
whose
language
I
don't
understand.
But
then
never
say
never.
'The
Good
Part
About
Being
An
Actor
Is
That
You
Are
Very
Privileged
And
You
Have
To
Accept
And
Understand
That'
Q.
What
is
the
best
and
worst
thing
about
being
an
actress?
A.
There
is
no
bad
thing
about
being
an
actor
apart
from
the
fact
that
you
are
constantly
judged
very
quickly
and
people
form
a
very
strong
opinion without
knowing
much
about
you.
The
good
part
about
being
an
actor
is
that
you
are
very
privileged
and
you
have
to
accept
and
understand
that.
You
play
different
characters
and
understand
so
many
personalities
in
a
way
that
it
helps
you
to
maybe
develop
your
own
personality
better.
Q.
When
you
look
back,
how
do
you
define
your
journey?
A.
I
think
I
have
been
very
fortunate.
I
had
some
very
good
opportunities
that
I
have
done
my
best
to
make
most
of
it.
I
created
a
path
for
myself
which
was
not
something
which
was
done
before.
I
take
a
lot
of
happiness
and
pride
in
that.
I
feel
very
satisfied
with
the
journey
that
I
had.
'When
You
Do
Female
Centric
Films,
Why
Don't
They
Open
To
The
Same
Box
Office
Numbers
As
Against
Male
Centric
Films?'
Q.
Anushka,
you
have
always
openly
spoken
about
sexism
existing
in
the
industry....
A.
When
I
spoke
about
sexism,
I
was
not
talking
just
about
me
but
in
general.
Has
it
changed
completely?
No,
it
hasn't
but
is
we
moving
positively
towards
that
change.
I
think
yes
but
I
think
you
can't
hold
the
industry
for
it
only
because
I
think
it
also
has
to
do
with
people.
When
you
do
female
centric
films,
why
don't
they
open
to
the
same
box
office
numbers
as
against
male
centric
films?
This
is
such
a
deep
rooted
thing,
so
many
years
we
have
not
really
expected
much
from
our
female
actors.
So
it
will
take
time
for
us
to
get
there.
We
are
all
pioneer
of
this
change.
May
be
we
won't
be
able
to
see
the
real
benefits
of
this
change
completely
but
at
least
we
are
doing
something
that
will
help
the
process."
Q.
Finally
on
a
lighter
note,
what's
on
your
playlist
that
you
love
listening
to
while
driving?