Anushka Sharma: I Have Always Made Sure People Around Me Are Real

Imperfections and incompleteness are a part of life, something that Anushka Sharma is quite aware of and that is why the actor says she prefers to stay grounded and focus on work. Currently at the top of her game, Anushka says she never feels settled or happy as she believes reinvention is key to one's success.

She says human beings are incomplete souls in life who 'try to complete things, either by filling the void with work or relationships.'

"We all are flawed human beings, going about with our lives. I have had a very good life. I have managed to do a lot of things very early on in my life and I am very proud of it. I have always been aware that I am a work in progress. I am someone who has to constantly keep changing and reinventing.

"It is very easy to feel that way (settled) in a profession because it is easy for people around you to make you feel that way. I have always made sure people around me are real and represent things to me correctly. As it just improves the quality of my life," Anushka told PTI.

In Aanand L Rai-directed Zero, Anushka plays a wheelchair-bound scientist suffering from cerebral palsy and Shahrukh Khan is a vertically challenged man.

When Rai approached her to play this role, the actor says she was prepared for the challenge that was coming her way. "My role was difficult to play. I had to voluntarily create an involuntary movement, while I was focusing on the dialogue and the emotions. It was physically draining and it takes a lot of mental focus. I knew I had to do this correctly."

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What helped in her portrayal of the character was Rai's vision for the film and his research. Anushka worked with an occupational therapist and an audiologist for about three-four months to understand the nuances.

"The condition that my character has in the film is very rare. There are different ways in which you can be affected by cerebral palsy. In this particular case, they had difficulty in finding someone who exactly had this condition.

"So, for me, to follow something, it will be not right to represent that incorrectly as it would not look good. I was told how your body gets affected by it physically and also your speech. I did see some videos."

Anushka, 30, says Rai never intended to focus on the physical side of the characters in "Zero" but rather used it to tell a bigger story.

"Aanand sir did not want the physical challenge that my character has or the appearance that Shah Rukh Khan's character has become the focal point. My character is brilliant, highly intelligent and some who has achieved a lot professionally. He wanted to focus on her spirit and brilliance."

The film, also starring Katrina Kaif in the role of a popular star, releases on December 21, 2018.