Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; August 6, 2018)

Model Aisha Sharma stormed into the limelight after she featured on an illustrious swimsuit calendar about a year ago. She will be seen making her Bollywood debut in the John Abraham and Manoj Bajpayee-starrer, vigilante action thriller Satyameva Jayate. For those unaware, Aisha is the younger sister of actress Neha Sharma and in her own words, a certified wild child of the family who has seldom followed rules. In a chat with BT, the model-turned-actress tells why it irks her when people perceive models as ‘just a model’, shares her journey to Bollywood and talks about why India needs to normalise a lot of things, including the bikini. Excerpts...

You are a model, an engineer and now an actor. Did you always plan to follow in the footsteps of your sister Neha Sharma?
I am a biotechnology engineer. Not many know that Neha is a NIFT fashion designer, too. My dad Ajit Sharma is into politics now but I belong to a regular family from Bihar. My mom was very clear on one thing. Education first. She told us to do whatever we wanted to do once we get that degree. Nobody in my family was into the movie business but Neha and I followed that dream. Nobody in my family ever went abroad to study but my other two siblings did. We have carved our own paths.

Models always have a fear of being typecast. Did you have any concerns about your first film?
When you are a model, you are expected to get the glamorous parts as you tend to get slotted. The only expectation I have from my first film is for people to say that I can act and that my part is true to the story. Interestingly, my role in Satyameva Jayate is not glamorous at all, barring the song Tere Jaisa that came out recently. I was first offered Namaste England but that didn’t work out for some reason. Akshay sir (Kumar) was supposed to be a part of that film initially but he isn’t either.

Janhvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and many other star kids are making their foray into films. Since you are debuting at the same time, does the competition bother you?
I am unfazed by the competition. If you are good, you will stand out. I think it’s a great time to debut because it is the year of debutants. I feel there is room for everyone as people are looking for fresh faces. No matter what, there will be just one Aisha so I am not competing with the others. In fact, you have to be so good that you should feel deserving of what you get. Also, I feel competition just drives you to be better.

How was the experience of working with John Abraham and Manoj Bajpayee?
The best part of working with John is that no one is going to tell me how tall I am because he is so tall (laughs!). Jokes apart, as a co-star he makes you feel at ease. I was never made to feel like a newcomer. Manoj sir (Bajpayee) has the most whacky sense of humour off screen, so it’s a delight to work with him. To get a chance to share the screen with Manoj sir in your first film is a big deal. I wasn’t intimidated though. It was exciting to work with both of them. They didn’t make me feel like it was my first film.

Barring a few exceptions, popular perception suggests models rarely make good actors.
Times have changed. You have to be a good actor if you wish to survive in the film industry. Deepika Padukone has changed the game. When she started out as an actor people doubted her acting skills but now she’s become a fine actor. You need to hone your craft. I feel people don’t give us enough credit when they say, “He/she is just a model”. But modelling is not an easy job!

The beauty and fashion industry is often criticised for setting unrealistic standards of beauty. What would you say to young girls, who wish to pursue a career in the big bad world of modelling?
Even girls who get featured in the magazines don’t look like that in reality. Don’t chase the idea of ‘perfect’ beauty that you see in ad campaigns. Of course there are some photographers who don’t use photo shop but there is a lot of work that goes behind a picture. A lot of money rides on these photos and there are professionals who make these pictures look like a dream. All the young girls out there, if you are reading this, remember, what makes you different are your quirks. There are so many supermodels with crooked teeth and they are still successful. What would be the point of (Angelina) Jolie lips, if everyone had them? Why clone someone? Just try to be the perfect definition of you and what makes you unique.

As a former bikini model, do you think it’s time we should abstain from sensationalizing it?
We need to normalise a lot of things in our country. We need to be a lot more tolerant and it’s not just about the bikini. We make a big deal of something that is not required. As far as the bikini is concerned, it’s more of a cultural thing. More than wearing a bikini, it’s important to feel comfortable in one. We don’t grow up seeing women wearing bikinis on the beach, so it gives us a culture shock when we do. It’s also a body shock. If you are not fit, you try and hide your body but I feel even if you are not fit, wear it. Who cares? Fitness is not just about being skinny. It’s about having a toned body and a good life.

What was your parents’ reaction when you first wore a bikini for a photo shoot?
For my mom those pictures have always been a little too nanga. She says, it’s not for me, don’t send them to me. I tell her, but they are really good! I don’t take her seriously anymore (smiles) and I don’t bother talking about these things with dad. Everything for my mom is too much, even my clothes are too skimpy for her but I just wear what I like. Even Neha tells me, ‘Aisha, this is too much!’ I ask her to relax. I am the certified wild child. Luckily for my mom, my character in Satyameva Jayate is very simple. She is very happy that she will get to see me in a simple avatar (smiles).