“If you’ve ever sat down with your girlfriends to discuss life, age, career, politics, and dating, among other things, without the fear of judgement, then you know what sisterhood feels like. But we don’t have enough stories about female friendship,” says Internet star Kusha Kapila, who presents the theme in her upcoming films Sukhee and Thank You For Coming.

Taking baby steps into Bollywood, Kapila, who has previously been part of Masaba Masaba, Plan A Plan B, and Selfiee, will share screen space with Shilpa Shetty Kundra in Sukhee. She says that the story and “cracking the chemistry” with director Sonal Joshi drew her towards the film.

“And Shilpa is a woman’s woman. She is a technically sound actor who lets you shine in scenes. From telling me when to dab my face and do touch-ups to [instructing] me on the kind of lighting that would make me look better. It is inspiring to be around someone who has been in the industry for three decades.”

While she is relatively new in Hindi cinema, Kapila is a star in the Internet universe, with millions following her every reel. She says that the people around her exist to ground her. “They, in fact, treat me poorly. When I go back home, I have to get an appointment to meet my friends. Recently, my friend was complaining how  I am not there for her because I have been busy,” jokes the actor, adding that it is endearing to see her close friends still treat her the same after she became popular.

“They troll me on pap videos. Friends give you a reality check and remind you of who you are and used to be. Their interventions have saved my life.”

Although on home ground nothing seemed to have changed, her private life has been split wide open for comment. Especially after she announced her separation from husband, Zorawar Singh Ahluwalia, Kapila endured unnecessary hate online. It became worse when reports of her dating Arjun Kapoor went public, which she denied on social media with a long post.

A week later, we asked her how she dealt with the negativity, she said, “I designate hours of the day to cry. Love on the internet comes with its fair share of criticism, from slut shaming to body shaming. I am easily affected. This year has been a lesson in silence and going to work with blinders on. I don’t want to trivialize it by saying, ‘Farak nahi padta hai [It doesn’t matter]’. Everyone is affected by it, but how you navigate it shows who you are.”

Does success put a balm on it? “Success offers the privilege to distract yourself. It also gives you perspective on how to move on with life and protect oneself from pain,” she concluded.