Ive Cleared the Air With Ranveer, Sushant

Mumbai " She's done just seven films before "PK" and is working on a few more ("Bombay Velvet," "Dil Dhadakne Do" and her co-production "NH10"), but within this short list of movies, in a career spanning just six years, Anushka Sharma has worked with three of the finest directors in the country " Aditya Chopra, Yash Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani in "PK" " and is set to work with Karan Johar in his next directorial, "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil."

The ever-warm Anushka asks me why I am not having my cup of tea as I speak to her, and makes a mock-irritated expression when I reply that it is because I am in awe of her. But as we have seen not only from her impressive haul but also her performances, especially in her debut film "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" and "Band Baaja Baaraat," she is quite an achiever.

Her co-stars span a list from her first hero Shah Rukh Khan to Ranveer Singh (two films each), Akshay Kumar, Shahid Kapoor, Imran Khan, and now Aamir Khan and Sushant Singh Rajput (in "PK" again) to Ranbir Kapoor in two forthcoming films, and a third film with Ranveer.

Quite a coup really, so Anushka makes a preening gesture. "While actors can be similar in many ways, directors are all different, thanks to their lives, experiences and approaches that make them have different sensibilities," she says. "You cannot compare them, except that all of them are good person handlers.'"

We persist in asking her to compare the three legends she has worked with and she adds, "Adi (Aditya Chopra) is like my guru. He was so positive when I was doing my first film. Yash (Chopra)-ji was like a child. It was colossal to work with him, and he told his stories from the point of view of women mostly. Women were so much empowered in his films. The chance to be directed by him was everyone's dream, so I feel very fortunate that I was the youngest and newest actor to do so."

She goes on, "As for Raju Hirani, I felt really thrilled and happy because of my respect and love for Raju as a director. He raises the bar and he does not just make a good film but also something that leaves a mark on society. He does what he knows, is a genius of a director, has tremendous confidence in his writing, and knows his audience. Even on the day of the shoot, he is improvising till the end with a rare intensity."

Anushka also states that when it is a Rajkumar Hirani film, it does not matter what you are paid. "His film is beyond all that because you are becoming a part of a thought process that will affect the minds of so many people!" she declares. She confesses to a slight dj vu when she first came to meet him for this film. "I felt that I had been here before, and then remembered that I had auditioned for 3 Idiots' even before I signed Rab Ne...' though he was unaware of it!"

Excited about "PK," she relates how her father told her, "What if we all start calling you Jagat Janani (the creator of this world)?" because that is her (Hirani-an and) quirky name in this film!

Denying any workshops and such gimmicks to get into the character, Anushka states that it was a tough role. "When you play a real character, you have to look effortless, but that needs a lot of effort!" she smiles. "It is difficult to get into such a character and think and react like her. I had to imagine a lot as well, and the film's coming to me while I was promoting Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola' made it a bit tougher," she recalls.

Between the two Khans she has worked with ("If God wills, I will get a film with Salman Khan!") she calls Shah Rukh Khan a bundle of tremendous energy and fire. "Aamir is meticulous, and though he later started pulling my leg and we became good friends, he was not someone with whom I could make small talk earlier," says the actress. "Aamir is a very sharp person. I have observed him " how he would say something, even how the audience would see and think about the sequence."

Anushka is now turning producer with "NH10." Asked why she is co-producing a niche film, she bristles. "I don't believe in terms like niche or mainstream. There are stories that need to be told and I have full faith in the film and the director's instinct. As an actor, I just wanted to back the film and I am sure that it has commercial appeal."

She also adds that the audience and media should stop thinking in numbers about a film's success. "Isn't Queen' a hit even though it has not made 100 crore? The budget of a film decides what is a hit film and what is not!" she says firmly.

Anushka is one actress who is never reluctant to work with other heroines, be it Priyanka Chopra (the forthcoming "Dil Dhadakne Do"), Katrina Kaif ("Jab Tak Hai Jaan") or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Karan's new film. "That is because I look at a film as a film, not at the length of my role. If my role is brilliant, why should I refuse? Karan's film, for example, is not a love triangle and has a great role for me as Ranbir Kapoor's heroine. Zoya Akhtar was convinced that I would refuse Dil Dhadkane Do' because of Priyanka's presence in a major role, but mine was so kickass. I told her, Babe, why did you think I would refuse your film?'"

Asked how she evaluates her career till now, and Anushka has a crisp answer. "Before Band Baaja Baaraat," into which I was kind of sucked in, I did know what not to do, but after the film released, I knew what I have to do! I had no plan earlier, but now I know what I have to do, and on my own terms."

What about the fact that her off-screen affairs are always highlighted, like her relationship with Virat Kohli or the misunderstandings with Ranveer Singh and Sushant Singh Rajput?

"I cleared the air with Ranveer and Sushant because the issues had been created by the media. Ranveer was the same as in Band Baaja Baaraat' and Ladies Vs. Ricky Bahl' when we shot for Dil Dhadakne Do.' As for Virat, I am so much in love with my work that I am willing to take prying paparazzi and such reports in my stride. But I do not want to make my personal space into everyone's entertainment if someone asks me to speak about my relationships."