Sara Ali Khan gets candid about falling in love with her work again, the trend of direct-to-OTT releases and more
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 7, 2021)

It’s been a year since actor Sara Ali Khan, 26, returned to doing interviews, and she’s dressed as if she’s at home, at ease. And that’s exactly how the conversation goes — easy, free-flowing, with no reluctance on any subject, whether it’s about a previous film that didn’t do well or her upcoming film, Atrangi Re.

“My films are only released in December,” she jokes (her last film, Coolie No 1 was released in the same month in 2020). Excerpts:

You are back in the rustic, street smart girl zone after Kedarnath (2018), your debut. Was it deliberate, after urban-set films like Love Aaj Kal, and Coolie No 1 (both; 2020)?
I believe in the stories that I think deserve to be told. This (Atrangi Re) just so happened to come to me after seeing a commercial film. Also, the thing is, with the kind of films I have been privileged to do, I haven’t chosen them, they have chosen me. Rohit Shetty, Imtiaz Ali, Aanand L Rai (filmmakers)... How can you choose these people? They choose you. This film came to me at a time when I most needed it. The only good thing in my life in 2020 was Atrangi Re. Love Aaj Kal didn’t get love. Ten days after it flopped, I was on the floors with Aanand ji, doing this movie. On a personal level, Rinku (her character in the movie) and Aanand ji made me fall in love with myself and my work.

You shot this film amid many restrictions due to Coronavirus. How different was it?
It was simply beautiful to realise and remember what it was like to be on a set where everyone was doing their job because they wanted to, not because they had to. After the lockdown was lifted, the song Chaka Chak was the first thing I shot for.

Like with your last release, Atrangi Re is heading directly to an OTT platform. Did you have any apprehensions?
My initial reaction was to feel bad because I do films for the big screen and I believe in that experience. Then I also realised, for lack of a better word, what the aukaat of an actor is. It’s not my decision. I love Aanand ji. He made me love myself when I didn’t love myself. So I am not one to question his thought process. Jo bhi kiya hoga, bahut soch samajh ke kiya hoga. Ultimately, for me, it matters that you watch the film. If I reach more eyes, I win. As long as you can watch the film and have a smile, I am happy.

What was it like to work with Akshay Kumar and Dhanush?
It was insane! I call Akshay sir Thalaivar of the North, because he has so much energy, spontaneity, and spark. Dhanush sir is both an inspiration and an institution in the world of acting. He knows the camera like I know water. There was not a single day on set where, apart from being fun and creatively rewarding, there wasn’t constant learning. If it was a seven-to-seven shift, and I had to pack up after lunch, I wouldn’t go back. I would sit and watch all the takes of Dhanush sir on the monitor.