Harshada Rege (DNA; November 10, 2017)

Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma have always got along like a house on fire, and now they have something more to bond over. The two actors, who are currently shooting for Aanand L Rai’s film, have been spending their time between shots playing Ludo. The humble game — that was once a board game — has now been converted into a cooler digital version that has become extremely popular in the recent times. And it looks like SRK and Anushka, too, have rediscovered this game, which most of us have played in our childhood days. The two actors are often found huddled over an iPad rolling the dice and trying to score over each other.

Gaming partner
This is SRK and Anushka’s fourth film together after Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, and Jab Harry Met Sejal. Both, Shah Rukh and Anushka, have been shooting for the film for about a month now and after their intense shoot, this has turned out to be a great way for them to unwind.

A source says, “Everyone knows how big a gamer SRK is. He constantly likes to play something or the other on his digital devices. And he has found a gaming partner in her. Both, Anushka and SRK, are hooked to the game.”

Though it’s turned out to be a great way to pass time, the two actors are extremely competitive about winning it.

It’s infectious
The game, which can be played by two to four players, has now caught on with those present on the sets. The source adds, “Whenever they have a little breather, they even pull in crew members and play Ludo on sets. It’s infectious. In fact now, Rai too started joining them in the sessions, and eventually, other crew members started taking interest in it.”

We learn from our failures: Anushka
It was in her debut film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi that SRK and Anushka worked together for the first time. Their dosti has only strengthened over the years. Like SRK, Anushka too stands by her movies irrespective of their box-office result. She says, “I don’t get into all this (fate of films at the box-office). I don’t like sitting and dissecting a film, understanding why people are saying what they have. What’s done is done. I will always stand for the films that I’ve done. No one ever questions you when your film is successful. I’ve been part of films that have been the biggest in Indian cinema and I feel since we don’t do it then, there is no point doing that when a film doesn’t work.”

Lesson learnt
Anushka has a different perspective when it comes to success and failure. She says, “We learn from our failures and at the same time, you learn from your successes, too. It’s not like you learn anything more or less. The fate of a film is something that will always be defined by the audience and you have to respect that. Also, it’s a very subjective thing. Sometimes, there’s a film you might do, which you don’t expect too much from, but suddenly it surprises you. That’s happened a lot with me, when it comes to smaller films. They found a much larger audience than what I expected them to. These are things that you have to take in your stride and still hope that you learn from it.”

But does that mean that the JHMS debacle didn’t affect her personally? “Of course, I was affected by it on the level that any actor would be affected if their film didn’t do well. At the same time, I feel that just when it happens, to think about that, it won’t be right or productive. You do get a sense of why a film does or does not do well. But it might not always be true,” she says.

‘It’s important that you experience everything’
Anushka also reasons that in these nine years, since her debut, she has changed as a person and her reception towards success and failure, too, has invariably changed over time. “The thing is, when your film doesn’t do well, it makes you feel really low for a while. But as you get older and wiser, you learn to get out of the situation very soon. I’ve been very fortunate to not face too many failures, especially not successive failures in life. So maybe, it’s been easier to move on from one to the other. Having said that, it’s also important to get a taste of both the worlds. The world is built on opposites and no career has been able to survive without failures, in any capacity. It’s important that you experience everything; reacting to it immediately is not a safe or wise thing to do.

You need to have your vision for yourself very clear. Nothing like this failure should come in the way of that. A lot of times, people alter their headspace as a kneejerk reaction. I’m someone who, by the grace of God, has the ability to take it on my chin and move on. Somewhere subconsciously, you do understand and it travels with you in the other choices that you make in life,” Anushka signs off.

— Nayandeep Rakshit