Calling it her “first interview post Covid”, Kiara Advani is excited that life is slowly getting back to normal. “I took one day at a time in all these months, and it’s so funny that we adapt to any situation so fast,” she says, adding that, “The new normal is so different. Everyone is being cautious, and I feel you’ve to feel safe when you’re ready to go back to work.” Looking forward to her next, Laxmii, releasing on the web, Advani gets talking about the film, the OTT boom and restarting shoots.

I had three films pending for release, but after the lockdown, we had a little bit of work on all those, so I started with them. I shot for a song for Indoo Ki Jawani, then Laxmii’s last scene was pending, besides dubbing work and a lot of brand shoots. The first film shoot I’ll start this month, and we resume Bhool Bhoolaiya 2 in January. I believe fear is worse than the Coronavirus, so we’ve to take precautions and be responsible during this time.

I’m really happy that people will finally get to watch the film; it has been waiting for so long. Also, nobody knew seven months ago what was going to happen the way things were going, so that’s the producer’s call (to release it online). Of course, the film was made for theatres, so we’ll miss the community watching aspect, as a film like this in a theatre would have been extremely exciting, but it’ll also be beautiful in your home. As an actor, I just want my films to reach as many people as possible.

When I did Guilty, there was a lot of creative liberty and it got me so much critical appreciation. It also reached a wider audience. So, web opens the horizon, as there are so many films of different languages people are watching. It pushes your boundaries — as artistes, filmmakers, writers, and content creators. Everybody is charged up to put their best foot forward and bring something new to the table. Viewers also want fresh content and it’s like a challenge to continue entertaining them with new and exciting stuff on OTT.

Working with Akshay sir is amazing, you learn so much. While filming Good Newwz, we never had time to interact. But, during Laxmii — since it’s a horror comedy and we shot a lot in the evening and at night — Akshay sir had made a lounge room where all the main cast and crew would have their meals together. It just kept everyone’s energy up and the vibe was always happy and positive. We also have kids in the film, so he was doing tricks with them and joking. He’s always so full of life and energy, and that’s an amazing quality, very admirable and inspiring.