EXCLUSIVE: Adah Sharma talks about life after 'The Kerala Story' and how she handles criticism
Bollywood actress Adah Sharma is on cloud nine with her latest film, 'The Kerala Story', crossing Rs 240 crore mark at the Box Office. In an exclusive interview with Asianet Newsable, Adah Sharma, talks about her life after the blockbuster movie and more
Adah Sharma's The Kerala Story, helmed by Sudipto Sen and bankrolled by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, follows the story of a Hindu woman from Kerala, who is brainwashed to embrace Islam and sent to Syria, where she is forced to join the ISIS terrorist organisation. The Kerala Story has been in the scanner since the teaser was released last year. The movie was released in theatres on May 5, showing no signs of slowing down even a month later.
The Kerala Story has stood firm in the face of controversy, requests for bans, and numerous other releases. The success of The Kerala Story has also catapulted its leading lady, Adah Sharma, Bollywood's highest-grossing female actor for a female-led film, beating Alia Bhatt, who previously held the record with Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022).
So, in a candid chat with the star, we asked some burning questions like how she handles trolls and criticism on social media. To which she answered, "The trolls I really hope they find peace. If putting someone down gives you joy, then your life must really lack any meaning. It must be a very sad existence."
Adah Sharma also revealed how her life changed post 'The Kerala Story'. To which she said, "With The Kerala Story, I had the opportunity to do so much for the first time. It's wonderful when someone puts their faith in you for a part like this, and now I've made a place in the public's hearts."
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Adah said about the film's positivity, "The positive is way higher than the negative. It shows in the number of people who watched the film and spoke so highly of it. The messages on social media. The real survivors appreciate it, people from all religions, age groups, genders saying the film really touched them and made them emotional."
The happy actress added, "When there is so much positive, I think if I look at few negative remarks from people who haven't watched the film, I am not grateful for what the universe has given me. The Kerala story doesn't happen to everyone. I was chosen for this."
Adah also talked about the comments made by celebrities like Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Kamal Hassan etc. "I feel very happy I live in a country like India where there is freedom of speech, and every individual is allowed to have an opinion. Even people who have not seen the film can say they don't like it. People with different opinions are allowed to coexist in society without being harmed. That is the beauty of a country like India."
As the movie 'The Kerala Story' completes more than a month in theatres across India and continues its golden run, Adah opened up about how her family, friends reacted after watching the movie. "My mother was numb. My friends said they used up a whole box of tissue papers," the actress answered.
The actress revealed the best compliment she got after the film was released, "I received a lot of calls and congratulatory messages from people from film industries in India and worldwide. The best compliment was from a director who told me that it didn't look like I simply walked out of a vanity van and went on the sets to shoot. It looked like I was actually in jail."
Adah shared some of the set's memories, "So many lovely recollections I have all the tears I cried, now every day there are at least 200 drawings, paintings, rangolis, mehendi art that people make of that poster. The phone call at the end with my mother is my favourite scene for personal reasons."
She talked about her future projects, "I'm doing an international project which I am currently shooting for. I also have four projects ready, which I shot before The Kerala story. They will release this year."