Angira Dhar Words: Deepali Singh | TMM
From working behind the scenes as a professional in television production to facing the camera as an actor, Angira Dhar has come a long way. A popular face on television commercials, the lovely lass from Srinagar became a household name with the web show Bang Baaja Baaraat. She followed it up with the films Love Per Square Foot and Commando 3. But none of these were planned moves, as the artist tells us. Angira, who is looking forward to working with Anurag Kashyap in his first international film project, says she is finally in a space that makes her happy…
You worked behind the camera before facing it. Did that help you in the latter?
A hundred per cent! Right from gaining confidence with the camera around or in terms of the technicalities of understanding the camera, you learn a lot of things from the creative to the production aspect of what you are doing. When I was put in front of the camera, it was not an alien concept for me. As an actor, acting is the most important aspect, but when you know what goes behind it and how to marry the two, its fun and also gets easier to understand the craft.
You didn’t plan to be in front of the camera?
Angira Dhar says I’m not much of a planner in life (smiles). It’s just that I always had a knack for it. Even when I was producing or working as an assistant director, I would invariably end up doing a lot of briefing myself. It never dawned upon me that I should be doing this as a profession, but I really loved it. I feel some things in life happen to you because they are meant to be if you happen to be at the right place at the right time. I feel that’s exactly what happened with me and I’m so glad it did. It finally brought me to a place where I wanted to be.
Would you say that it was the web series Bang Baaja Baaraat that was a turning point in your career?
It was definitely a turning point as far as reaching out to the audiences was concerned. It was on the net, so many people watched it. But to be honest, when it comes to working and getting recognised within the industry, it was when I acted in the commercial for Cadbury Dairy Milk. People started taking notice of me. But yes, Bang Baaja Baaraat was a turning point in terms of exposure and long format. People started to know ki ladki acting kar sakti hai (smiles).
The characters you have portrayed so far have been of strong, independent women. Are you drawn to such characters?
Fortunately for me, these characters and scripts have come my way. As an actor, I feel a sort of responsibility towards society to be able to project stronger women so people can get inspired by them, in whatever little way and capacity. So I naturally steer towards stronger characters. Other characters have been offered to me but their payback in the film hasn’t really resonated with me.
Up next, you are going to feature in Anurag Kashyap’s international film, Talagh. Tell us more about that.
It’s based on a real person’s life and is a drama. It’s going to be an extremely fun and challenging film. It’s trilingual, being made in German, Dari and Pashto. It’s going to be Anurag’s first international project and I am very kicked about it. I want to give it everything I have. It’s a little nerve-wracking but it will be fun!
How spontaneous are you with your acting choices?
When you have no godfather and nobody to tell you what you should be doing, then your instincts get stronger. And instinctively, I have tried to pick up roles that will make me happy and satisfied as an artist. In a way, it’s also a blessing in disguise because the wheels of my mind are constantly churning ideas, things to do and how to do them and getting a grasp of the industry.
Are there any friends from the industry who you turn to for guidance?
Yes, I always turn to Anand Tiwari who has been my director twice, first with Bang Baaja Baaraat and then with Love Per Square Foot. Amritpal Bindra, Anand’s partner is also a close friend of mine. Vicky Kaushal, my first feature film hero is also someone I turn to. I have these very close dear friends who are looking out for me. I can depend on them blindly. They are my bouncing boards.
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