Talktime | Kiara Advani
24-year-old Kiara Advani, who made her Bollywood debut last year with Fugly, talks to Sangeeta Yadav about playing Sakshi Dhoni in the film MS Dhoni and working with Sushant Singh Rajput and director Neeraj Pandey
How was it like to play Sakshi Dhoni in MS DhoniIJ
It was amazing. It wasn’t difficult to get into the character. I used to talk to Sakshi over phone several times during the shooting. She is like any other 20-plus woman and it just got so easy to build a rapport with her. I felt like I had known her for a long time and understood why I am playing her character.
What kind of a person Sakshi isIJ
She is bubbly, innocent and full of life. I’m intrigued by her simplicity. She is a very grounded. That’s how we have shown her in the film. It will be very surreal for her to see it. We have all seen Sakshi supporting her husband at various cricket tournaments and otherwise as well. She usually stays away from the limelight but their love story has always fascinated Dhoni’s fans. It will be exciting to see how they met and how their love blossomed and eventually led to marriage.
Was Sakshi apprehensive about you doing justice to the roleIJ
I don’t think she had any apprehensions. She was quite confident and happy that I am portraying her life on celluloid. She told me that I was going to do a good job.
Since the movie is all about Dhoni, won’t your role get overshadowedIJ
If I would have had that apprehension, I would have never taken up this role. I looked at the bigger picture of being a part of the story, to get the opportunity to work with director Neeraj Pandey. At the end of the day, it’s a film on MS Dhoni and you will see Sakshi as his wife. More than that, it’s an inspiring story and just being a part of it is very exciting.
Anything that you did going out of your comfort zone…
There was a song titled Jab tak for which we had to shoot with a lion at Cape Town. When the lion came, he brushed against us and started climbing on us. It was all real and no croma was used. It was for a few seconds but our hearts were racing. One doesn’t get to experience a lion so upclose. When we came out, we were so relieved. It was my ‘Oh My God’ moment which I will never forget. I don’t know if I want to do it again.
Your dream to work in director Neeraj Pandey’s film came true.
I have been a huge fan of Neeraj sir’s work ever since I watched A Wednesday which was a mind-blowing film. He is an amazing director and great human being. I never thought that I will get to work with him so soon. He is very clear on what he wants and how to get it out from his actors and yet he makes you feel that it was you who did the impossible. For me, it was about giving good work and director should be happy from it. That will bring to me real satisfaction. There was a little bit of nervousness which I feel comes out of a lot of respect for his work and cinema and how I had to live up to it.
How was your experience working with Sushant Singh RajputIJ
Sushant is a chilled out guy and very confident of himself and that shows on the screen as well. He knows his potential and what he can do. For him, it is about teamwork. Only together you can make a scene good.
This is your second big film after Fugly…
I hope people can see the change in me as an actor. One must better themselves with every new project. For me, every film I feel like my first film. That feeling should never die because if it does then the excitement fizzles out. Though I have some knowledge of filmmaking, I’m still new and I feel as new as I am in my first film.
How is your next film Machine shaping upIJ
We shot this film in Georgia and now the climax is left which we’ll be shooting in Mumbai. The movie, which is directed by Abbas-Mustan, is going to be the launch film for Abbas’s son Mustaffa with whom I am sharing the screen space.
