“King Kong is waiting in the lobby,” reads a message on the screen as we wait for Adah Sharma to join our virtual chat. Curious, we allow King Kong into the chat, only to see a smiling Adah Sharma wave at us excitedly. “King Kong is my favourite romantic film. It’s the only film that made me cry. So when there was a chance to call myself anything in the world, I chose King Kong,” she says.

Just like her quirky screen name, Adah’s choice of films has been equally unconventional. From playing a transperson in her recent web series to playing a character with mental health issues in a short film, Adah has had a blast while doing experimental cinema. “I think the audience is finally ready for experimental stuff. They’ve been exposed to a lot of OTT content while sitting at home during the pandemic and if you give them routine stuff, they’re going to reject it. So it’s nice to be on your toes and try to do new things instead of settling for sub-standard, mediocre stuff,” she shares.

The audience can expect to see her in quirky, out-of-the-box roles in the future, too. “I think doing different stuff comes naturally to me, which is why I picked 1920 as my debut film. After that I was advised by people to be like everybody else – speak a certain way, dress a certain way and act in certain types of projects. But then there came a time where I just wanted to be me. I was tired of pretending to be someone else. Like in an interview, if I’m asked a question, I was supposed to give this ‘perfect’ type of answer,” she says, adding, “Soon, other people started to notice that. Today, I like to take these risks, and that’s what I live for as an actor.”

The Commando 2 actress’ unique personality translates on to her social media handles as well and the actress is often praised for her quirky sense of fashion. “There is no policing on Instagram so nobody can stop me from doing what I want. In films, you have to follow certain guidelines, and you’ll have to fit into the character’s mould.”

And while Adah enjoys showing her whacky side to her followers, she also makes a conscious effort to keep things real. “Even if I don’t have hair and makeup done, I post pics like that, too. I think it’s very important that people see the real me. People need to know that it’s okay to not look perfect all the time,” says Adah.