Nushrat Bharucha is all set to make her Kollywood debut with 'Vaaliba Raaja'
Chennai: She’s widely recognised as the ‘indie film’ girl across the country — her delightfully nuanced performances garnering her a cult fan following. Be it the satirically voyeuristic Love Sex Aur Dhoka or the urban rom-com, Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Nushrat Bharucha impressed not only with her demure girl-next-door looks, but also her histrionic prowess. Now all set to enter Kollywood with Vaaliba Raaja where she shares screen space with the likes of Santhanam, Vishakha Singh and Sethu (from the KLTA team), the Mumbai hottie is all set to take on a new challenge in her career. Is she going to tickle our funny bone?
“It’s always good for an actor to venture into different fields, no matter how challenging they might be. It took a whole new set of skills for me to pull off emotions in an alien language. It seemed impossible in the beginning, but the minute you see that you’ve actually pulled it off, it’s a different high altogether. I’m very glad Kollywood happened to me and I very much intend to be a part of it for as long as they’ll have me,” she begins excitedly.
What can she tell us about her role in the film? “I’m a fashion designer in Vaaliba Raja, so you can say my role is glamorous. Sweetie (my character) is a girl who knows what she wants in love and from the man she loves. She’s very practical, straightforward and is career-oriented. She tells it like it is. I very much relate to that and that is why I said yes to the film. Even my director, Sai Gokul, said just be what you are and that’s exactly what I wanted to do on screen. So it was a win-win for both of us,” Nushrat smiles.
She tracks back to the films that earned her the big break of being a saleable star. “LSD held very tough auditions and I did not make it through them in the first go. It was just my luck that the person backed out of the film and they called me back for two weeks of a workshop after which I got the role. It was the best experience of my life working with Dibakar, a director whose films I always wanted to be a part of. PKP was relatively simpler. The director Luv Ranjan did one meeting with me, clicked a few pictures with Kartik, and I was on board! The success of PKP is what has actually catapulted me into the limelight. The film was a lot of fun and the team has been a closely knit friends’ circle since then!”
There has been a lot of talk on Vishakha and Nushrat getting along like a house on fire, and she agrees wholeheartedly, “Vishakha and I became friends when she helped me drape my half-saree for the first time. My costume designer wasn’t on set that day and I had no idea how to wear it since it was the first time I was wearing south Indian attire. I was a complete mess, and I wouldn’t have been able to shoot that day had it not been for Vishakha’s help. After that, followed the lunches, the gossip sessions and the dancing in the vanity van. And, shopping!”
Nushrat is ready to start shooting the sequel to PKP as well as another comedy she’s looking forward to. Outside work, the diva says she’s addicted to American TV serials and currently spends most of her time watching Homeland, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead. “I love playing badminton and I have a court in my building so I have access to it anytime I want. I mostly play with my parents at night.” And is she seeing someone? “Yes... I am. It’s not easy to be in a relationship when you are constantly dealing with emotions you portray on screen. I live my characters, become what they are... every character changes me a little,” Nushrat muses.
