Exclusive
Kiara Advani: I play Sara Thapar – an edgy, eternal romantic in Machine
This exclusive interview with Kiara Advani will give you a sneak-peek into her role in Machine
After a mesmerizing performance in Fugly and leaving us dreamy-eyed in M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story, Kiara Advani is picking up a gun and ready to fire away at the box office with her next Machine opposite debutant Mustafa Burmawalla. She tells all in this Exclusive Interview with Bollyworm.
What’s your character in the film like?
I play Sara Thapar. She’s a today’s girl. Very edgy, and an eternal romantic. She has hobbies like Car Racing. That’s how Mustafa and I meet in the film. From that point onwards, it a complete Abbas-Mastan presentation!
What made you take on this Abbas-Mastan film?
Apart from presenting the ladies beautifully, they give the female leads very crucial and meaty roles. It’s a romantic thriller. It’s a genre that I’ve been waiting to do all this while. Especially when it’s an Abbas-Mastan presentation, since they haven’t done an action movie in a while.
How’s it working with a debutant like Mustafa?
He’s a pretty confident boy. We met each other once in Mumbai before we moved on to Georgia. Just before the first day of shoot in Georgia, we were going through a few lines. Nothing special. And the Mustafa I read my lines with last night was nowhere to be seen. He was a completely different person when the camera started rolling. I was taken aback! We got into a healthy competition of out-doing each other on the set. Competitions like these keep you driven and energized.
What makes you give a nod to a script?
For me director is very important. I see the kind of role that I am getting. The whole set environment is a pivotal thing. I have a list of directors I want to work with. I put myself in the theatre when I hear a script. I imagine the audience reaction. Now that Abbas Mastan and Neeraj Pandey (M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story) are ticked off, Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rajkumar Hirani are a few names that are on the top of my list.
Are you excited about being the next Mast Mast girl?
It’s very surreal that you are re-shooting the song on screen that you’ve danced to all your life behind the screen! I have fond memories of putting on a Chaniya Choli and grooving to the tune. Remember those times that your parents asked you to groove to your favourite tune in front of other relatives? For me, the Mast Mast song and the Chaniya Choli outfit was it! I was in fact the happiest girl to be dancing in front of relatives! I hadn’t felt the pressure until now. I’ll wait for you all to decide the fate of it!
Who are the actors on the top of your list?
It’s Ranveer Singh and Varun Dhawan!
Which one of the three khans would you like to work there?
Just to be safe, I will say all three of them (laughs)
Did you feel that the spotlight will be taken away by Mustafa? Given that it’s a debut film.
Seemed like I was getting more preference than Mustafa (laughs!). But that’s the thing with Abbas Mastan. Be it on screen and off screen, you will never feel less important. They treat you like their children when you’re on set. I wish all the very best for him.
How important are box office numbers for you?
I honestly don’t understand it at all. But it’s rather a cycle. When a movie does well, which will be understood by the kind of business they do on screen, that means people are watching the film. That also in a way paves the way for other films to do well. For me, good numbers can only mean that more people are watching a liking the film. And that’s something that you want as an artist.
Mustafa shared that he’s a great cook. So did he make you anything on the set?
Of course! He was my official Coffee maker! (laughs) He makes lovely salmon. A health food freak is in heaven with a health food freak. We would always wait for one another to finish our respective shoots and then eat together, since you cannot eat the yummy set food if you have to look a certain way. In that sense, we always had each other’s back. Food can really make two people bond!
Are you worried that people will reveal the main suspense on Friday itself?
I think one should do that! (laughs). Because the thing with an Abbas Mastan film is that the ending is so shocking that you’ll wonder how’s that possible! Like how did Katrina proved to be the Antagonist in Race? Twists like these will make you watch the whole film!
In which biopic would you like to be the protagonist?
I’d like to play Madhubala, should her biopic is decided to be made. She’s pretty iconic. And doing a biopic is a way of knowing more about an Individual’s life. I am indeed very keen about knowing Madhubala.
