NEW DELHI, Mar 24: In a short span of around nine years in the film industry, beginning from her debut film ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’, she has done a wide range of films and essayed a wide variety of roles. Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma has over the years done a wide range of films, from romantic to comedies to action and horror films and essayed diverse characters.
As she gets ready for her second production venture ‘Phillauri’, Anushka said that she is fortunate to have got an opportunity to play such diverse characters in her career in Bollywood.
”As an actor you are constantly endeavouring to do diverse roles and films. You are always looking for good characters. I am fortunate that I have got an opportunity to do a wide range of roles. I am lucky that I have been given these kinds of roles and also the fact that they have been well received by the audience,” Anushka said.
In the film, scheduled for release on March 24, Anushka plays a friendly spirit trailing an NRI who, after being found manglik, is forced to get married to a tree where the spirit has been residing. Directed by debutant: Anshai Lal, ‘Phillauri’ also features Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh, actor Suraj Sharma and debutant Mehreen Kaur Peerzada. Anushka says the story was narrated to her by Anshai Lal two years ago and she loved it and decided to produce the film, her second production venture after the critically acclaimed ‘NH 10’.
”When we started production house ‘Clean Slate Films’, the idea was to tell different and new stories. We wanted to present new ideas. That is why ‘NH 10’ turned out the way it was. It was received really well by people. Also, the response to ‘Phillauri’ till now has been very good,” she said.
The actress said that through the production house, run by her along with her brother, they were looking to create good content and back new talent. While ‘Phillauri’ is helmed by debutant director Anshai Lal, it features in the cast newcomer Suraj Sharma (Life Of Pi) , Debutant Mehreen and Daljit Dosanh, a relatively new face in Hindi films who was last seen in ‘Udta Punjab’.
”The basic objective behind Clean Slate Films is to create good content and to back new talent. This is something we have been able to do with ‘Phillauri’,” she said.
Talking about her character in the film, Anushka said, ”My character of Shashi in the film is a relatable one. I have tried to be as honest as possible while playing it.” Set in Punjab, Phillauri is about an NRI Punjabi boy named Kanan who returns to India to get married to his childhood sweetheart.
As luck would have it, his horoscope reads that he is a Manglik and that he would need to marry a tree before he can marry Anu to ward off any threat to his love life. Grudgingly, he gets married to the tree and to his shock, he finds himself being trailed by an unearthly entity who is revealed as Shashi – the friendly spirit.
Shashi used to live on the tree and when Kanan married the tree and then the family chopped it down as a ritual – she finds herself in the world of Kanan not knowing what to do and figuring how she is facing such a predicament. In the course of the film’s journey, we find there is a poignant beautiful, unfulfilled romantic back story of Shashi with Phillauri that becomes that centre-plot of the film. (AGENCIES)