“The title is very appropriate with what has happened with the film. Everyone in the industry was going bachke, but we went the hatke way,” gushes actor Sara Ali Khan, referring to her latest movie, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (ZHZB), which has been running in theatres for close to a month now. “I’ve never really understood numbers; the only currency I prefer is the love I get from the audience,” says the actor.

The 27-year-old is glad that her film has helped defy the notion that people are no longer interested in going to the theatres. “I am happy to see that we (cinemas) are back. Bahut log bolte the badi film honi chahiye, action film honi chahiye, sirf tabhi big screen par aayegi. But, that’s not necessary. I’ve always said that if you tell stories honestly, it will touch people’s hearts,” says Khan.

While she might not understand numbers, Khan does admit that they matter. “ZHZB is my highest-grossing film so far. I can’t claim Simmba (2018) as much as Ranveer Singh (actor) and Rohit Shetty (director) can. Yes, it was my film too, but ZHZB feels more personal,” she says.

The actor is aware that her most well-received performances — including in Kedarnath (2018), Atrangi Re (2021) and now ZHZB — saw her play a “small town girl”. How does she pull these off? “I may not have lived in rural India, but I am a desi girl at the core and am very proud of my Indianness. It’s an emotion. Even my vacations are very different, maybe that’s why people don’t like holidaying with me (laughs). If I go to Himachal [Pradesh] for five days, for instance, I will have at least six meals with the locals. I enjoy that... So if people resonated with these roles, that’s maybe because they come from an honest space,” she ends.

Khan’s visits to religious places such as Kedarnath and most recently, Mahakaleshwar Temple, have created a lot of buzz. Ask her about it, and she says, “People are in the habit of it (trolling); whatever keeps them entertained. I don’t mind if every third person is trolling me, as long as the work I do for the audiences does not go unnoticed. The rest is background noise. Aapko achha lagega, toh theek hai, nahin lagega, toh aisa nahin hai ki nahin jaaungi! It is my personal choice.”