‘Everyone is entitled to their opinion because we live in a country like India and not a place where Shalini is taken, where forget having an opinion, women can’t even talk to their family on the phone.’
IMAGE: Adah Sharma in The Kerala Story.
She has just given one of the biggest hits of the year, a film that is drawing full houses even as it continues to court controversy.
Adah Sharma, while admitting to enjoying the present, remains surprisingly grounded.
She even has calm and composed answers for all the allegations being hurled at the film.
She tells Rediff.com Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya, “All through the making of the film, I stayed strong, both physically and emotionally, so I could be vulnerable on screen.”
When you were living through Shalini Unnikrishnan’s terror, did it bring on sleepless nights or nightmares?
I wanted The Kerala Story to be the scariest horror story one had seen.
One step up from 1920, as this is human horror.
I didn’t want to strike even one false note.
So all through the making of the film, I stayed strong, both physically and emotionally, so I could be vulnerable on screen.
We were shooting in Ladakh’s Nubra Valley in winter, in minus 16 degrees.
The director was on the ventilator.
Other members of the unit were getting nose bleeds or ill.
I was the only one running up and down the mountain.
That’s how strong I made myself.
The day after we completed the film, I moved to another project, a totally different film.
I have not had the time to let out the emotions yet as I don’t know how to react in real life.
They are still bottled inside me.
That’s scary, they could explode anytime.
It happened once after listening to one of the mothers.
I went to the washroom and started crying.
I couldn’t stop!
IMAGE: Adah Sharma in The Kerala Story.
West Bengal has banned the film.
(Cuts in) I feel so helpless because people from there are reaching out to me on social media and asking me to do something.
The Censor Board took two months to pass it, asking for proof for almost every scene, which we furnished.
And now a ban which curtails our fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression.
My argument is let people watch it, then let them have the freedom to express their opinion, positive or negative.
I would even want Mamataji to see our film. Maybe once she does, she will herself host special screenings for girls.
It’s important to educate them so they are not trapped and trafficked to terror camps.
What’s encouraging is that despite bans in three states, and the film releasing overseas after a week, it got the biggest grossing female-centric film.
Some believe the collections are because the BJP at the Centre is pushing the film.
We are getting worldwide support, from countries like Denmark and Germany. No political party can drum up this kind of support.
Still, if people think they are pushing the film, that’s fine because it’s an anti-terrorism film and deserves all the support.
But for me, when you are talking about human beings, it goes beyond politics, elections and numbers.
I believe that it’s emotions that connect people.
Lately, a number of films haven’t worked, so when one does well, some people try to find a reason why it is successful.
IMAGE: Adah Sharma in The Kerala Story.
With people raising slogans in theatres and unfurling saffron flags with ‘Hindu Rashtra’ printed on them, it is alleged that the film is sparking communal feelings.
Our film is about humanity versus terrorism.
But people support a film in different ways.
We can’t dictate how they should do it because then that would be terrorism too.
On my birthday (May 11), my fan clubs sent me balloons and cakes to my home.
Some of the cakes had my face on it. It was their way of showing their love.
In the same way, in certain theatres, people are raising slogans like ‘Shalini badla lo! (Shalini take revenge!)’
Every person has his own way of expressing his feelings.
What is encouraging is that at the end of the film, everyone is unanimous that it is against terrorism.
One review reasoned that had the makers shown even one good Muslim character, it would have balanced things out.
I beg to differ. These guys are not Muslims, they are terrorists.
The first scene itself establishes that we are talking about ISIS.
These guys drug women, impregnate and marry them, even rape them, and those who commit such heinous crimes can’t be a good person.
If we had shown any good characters, we would have sympathised with the terrorists. Then I would have had to re-think it.
Having said that, I reiterate that everyone is entitled to their opinion because we live in a country like India and not a place where Shalini is taken, where forget having an opinion, women can’t even talk to their family on the phone.
IMAGE: A scene from The Kerala Story.
Talking of family, what was their reaction?
I had outlined the story to my mother before I signed it.
She thought I should do it since it raises awareness.
But after seeing it, she was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m numb!’
Several other mothers are thanking me, saying since it’s Adah Sharma, their daughters will see the film. And they have.
They are describing it as a women empowerment film because while Shalini made some stupid decisions, which has nothing to do with education or qualifications, she is a fighter.
She doesn’t give up, she runs away from the terror camp.
She’s a hero.
This may be a story of three girls in Kerala, but isn’t it a story playing out across the world?
Absolutely.
The concept of ISIS brides is not unknown to Europe, so countries like Denmark, France, Italy and Germany are really excited about screening it.
Yes, it released a week late overseas, but with three times the number of screens in 40 countries.
As far as numbers go, some people are making an issue over them, perhaps to divert attention from the subject.
All I can say is that it would be difficult to play 32,000 people in one film, though I would love to.
Telling my story, and that of my two friends, was itself a bit much in two hours.
We have addressed the numbers in the police station scene.
IMAGE: Adah Sharma in The Kerala Story.
You were in Commando 2 and 3. Is that how creative director and producer Vipul Shah thought to cast you in The Kerala Story?
In an industry where you cast to type, I’m fortunate that Vipul entrusted me with action in Commando, and then went beyond that to cast Badass Bhavana Reddy as Shalini.
Has Commando 4 started?
Yes, we have started shooting.
(Laughs) I can’t reveal much except that I return as Bhavana Reddy and hit a lot of people.
You are also playing a tough cop in Game of Girgit, whose first poster was released last week. It touches on the suicidal Blue Whale game and should be another eye-opener to parents.
This cop is very different from Commando‘s larger-than-life superhero with her punchlines and punches.
This cop is in a very real space.
Game of Girgit is about the Blue Whale game, a cat-and-mouse chase between my cop and the criminal.
I shot for it last year, just before we started filming The Kerala Story.
I was also shooting for a strange, quirky, thriller, Tibba, with Darsheel Safary, and the second season of a popular Web series, around the same time.
You have also done films down South, in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, but strangely, never in Malayalam?
I was shooting for Hasee Toh Phasee when I was offered a Telugu film.
I speak Tamil and Malayalam since my parents are from these states but I didn’t know Telugu.
But it was too good a role to miss out on, so I learnt the language and went on to do more films there.
I’ve done one Kannada film with Puneet Rajkumar and a Tamil film with Prabhudehva.
It wasn’t planned, it just happened.
Now, I’d like to do a film in Marathi, Gujarati and Punjabi. In fact, in all the Indian languages, and in languages across the world.
I love learning languages and picking up accents.
