Shimla girl Arushi Sharma, Imtiaz Ali’s latest discovery, on her serendipitous journey from Tamasha to the Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan-starrer
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 29, 2020)

In 2009, Imtiaz Ali introduced Giselli Monteiro with his Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone-starrer Love Aaj Kal. The Brazilian model-turned-actress played Harleen Kaur, love interest to Saif’s second character in the film. Ten years on, the filmmaker is ready to launch another fresh face. The new Love Aaj Kal, fronted by Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aaryan, is Arushi Sharma’s first film as a leading lady after a cameo in Imtiaz’s 2015 rom-com, Tamasha.

The 24-year-old former engineering student says that acting wasn’t in her plans. “I am from Himachal Pradesh, which doesn’t have an active theatre scene,” she explains, adding that Imtiaz was in her college in Shimla for recce for Tamasha. She auditioned for the part of Sanjukta and that’s when the acting bug bit her. “Engineering colleges are usually boring. I became popular after working with Ranbir Kapoor,” Arushi smiles.

After her first taste of showbiz, the aspiring actress started sending out recordings of her performances to casting directors. In February last year, she got a call from Mukesh Chhabra’s office. “I auditioned in Delhi and within 15 days, I was brought on-board Love Aaj Kal. The shoot was to begin within a month and suddenly, I had this huge mountain to climb,” she recalls.

Arushi had watched the original but refrained from revisiting it so she could approach the new script with a fresh mindset. “It’s a beautiful story. Every character has their own charm, conflict and are different, not just from each other but also from the previous film,” she asserts.

Her track is set in the ’90s and to prep for her part of Leena, the actress watched Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Maine Pyar Kiya. “I didn’t want to load myself with too much information, so I just watched these two films to understand love from that era,” she says. And what was the biggest takeaway from the two films? “They were slightly over-the-top for me initially; we don’t watch such films anymore. I had to unlearn everything and appreciate what they were doing on screen. Then I started to enjoy their innocence,” she sighs wistfully.

As a co-star Kartik was extremely friendly on the film set and made her feel comfortable. “Even he is an engineer, it was like meeting an old buddy. He is an actor who is always trying to improve his craft and a good co-star who elevated my performance, too. He can stay focused even in chaos, I can’t,” she shares. While she doesn’t have any scenes with Sara in the film, they did shoot for a song together. “She has a lot of energy, is involved in every aspect of filmmaking.”

Arushi is bracing herself for the competitive industry, which has recently witnessed the launch of Janhvi Kapoor, Sara, Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria. “I stalk them on Instagram all the time. Everyone is working so hard to create their own identity. It’s difficult to know who you are at such a young age,” she reflects.

Next up, she is preparing her wish-list of co-stars. “I would love to work with Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurrana. Alia Bhatt, too, is a favourite,” Arushi concludes.
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Newcomer Arushi Sharma recounts how a scene in Tamasha helped her bag Imtiaz's next
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 29, 2020)

You can hear a sense of wonder in her voice as Arushi Sharma acknowledges that a fleeting scene in Tamasha (2015; right) changed her life. An IT engineer by education, the youngster made a brief appearance as Princess Sanjukta in the song Chali Kahani, in the Imtiaz Ali-directed venture. Cut to five years later, she finds herself romancing Kartik Aaryan in the filmmaker's next, Love Aaj Kal.

"I shot for that film five years ago, and had tasted blood [after the cameo]. I went up to him and told him I would love to do movies. Even though I subsequently got a nine-to-five job in Gurgaon, I had an alternate life at home. I would get home from my job and make audition tapes," shares Sharma. When she was called for an audition to Delhi last February, little did she know that she would find herself face-to-face with Ali again. "At the audition, I saw this curly-haired, tall man. It turned out to be Imtiaz sir. I got locked for the part 10 days later."

The February 14 release offers two love stories — while the present-day story features Sara Ali Khan and Aaryan, the '90s romance has Sharma play an Udaipur girl. Considering Aaryan and Khan's chemistry is being much talked about, did she feel intimidated about rubbing shoulders with them? "On the first day of the shoot, I had a bigger challenge — to do a good job as an actor because such opportunities don't come easy to any actor, let alone a newcomer. So, I kept calm and did not get swayed by the noise around. Sara and Kartik are professionals. We derived our energy from Imtiaz sir who was clear about what he expected from us."
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Prashant Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 29, 2020)

She is a certified engineer who studied in Waknaghat, Himachal Pradesh. And the newbie, Arushi Sharma, who is readying for her full-fledged debut with Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal, shows a glimpse of it right at the start of the conversation by bringing up electrons. “Shooting for the film seemed like work. But now, it’s like an electron that starts to collect energy and shoots to the next level,” says the young actor, whose parents are judges and uncles are government officials. “That’s why sometimes, I wonder, ‘is my family really proud of me (about becoming an actor) or are they hiding their feelings (laughs)?” she says. Excerpts from an interview:

You are a true-blue Imtiaz Ali discovery (he cast her in small role in Tamasha, 2015, after his team spotted her in the college). Does that put any pressure on you?
I don’t think so. When I got the part in Tamasha, I didn’t know shooting mein kya hota hai. So, I was like, ‘jab shoot pe jaate honge tab bahut pressure hota hoga’. But there was none. Everything flowed effortlessly. Even during Love Aaj Kal, I didn’t feel any pressure. I don’t know why and how. It’s definitely because of Imtiaz sir and the way he directs and keeps things so simple. I feel when you go simple, you are being yourself and that’s the best thing. And I am happy with the tag of being Imtiaz Ali’s discovery. And if people are putting that pressure, I’m happy to take it because that’s how I would be able to bring out something good.

You were spotted by Imtiaz’s team in your college in Shimla, and now you are his lead star. Has it all been dream-like?
I do feel that it’s a dream (smiles). Sometimes, when I would get nervous on the set, and feet that I am not doing something correctly, Imtiaz sir would say, ‘Think of it as a dream Arushi’. After Tamasha, I felt that magic and the feeling is still with me. It all feels like a fairy tale, to be honest. Coming from Shimla to Mumbai, is something I had wished for. I feel really blessed that it has happened in my life.

Since Tamasha, how has your journey been? What were you doing after that film?
In the meantime, I finished my engineering. And while I was in college, I started giving auditions. And I would always ask [Imtiaz] sir if there’s any opportunity in any of his films in the future, and that I would love to do it. He gave me (casting director) Mukesh Chhabra’s number and asked me to be in touch with him. After my college got over, I started working. But I continued to give auditions. Although I wanted to be an actor, you also have to be practical about it. I never had the guts to leave everything and come to Mumbai because it seemed impractical to me. In this journey, I have learnt more about myself, more than anything. I never thought that I am this brave and patient. So, that way, it’s been a learning experience.

How was your co-star, Kartik Aaryan to work with?
He is so full of life and a fun-loving person. He is so involved, friendly and supportive that it feels really good. I was initially a bit scared but he made me feel comfortable. Also, initially, I wasn’t able to focus on the right things. But then, I started observing him, and learnt that everything is chaotic around you but you have to be focused. I think he does it so well, and I tried to emulate that. He helped with the technical aspects of acting as well.

Do you have any future plans in your head?
I think I do have a vague idea about what I want to do but I think this film is going to decide a lot of things for me. For me, people’s reactions as well as industry’s response really matters a lot. I want to note down what they say and how they feel about me, because I am not an actor. Once the film releases, I think I am going to write a thesis (laughs). Right now, I just want to be patient and see how things go.

Were you always a filmi girl? Any favourites?
I used to love dancing at birthday parties and all, but I was never really a film buff. I started to watch films seriously when I was in college. Kajol is my favourite. Even in the phase of ‘over-acting’, she was very real. Now, it’s Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone. But I love Alia a little more. Ranveer is also amazing as the kind of versatility he has shown of late is difficult and amazing. Ranbir Kapoor is also a favourite. His eyes are so intense.