Sara is now a mature, confident actor
While she enjoys appreciation as much as anyone else, the actor is also open to constructive criticism, and is focussed on being true to herself
By : Puja Talwar
Update: 2024-03-22 19:12 GMT
Sara Ali Khan has had a busy month, with two back-to-back releases and a hectic round of promotions. She’s traversed a wide arc, from playing the poor little rich girl Bambi in Murder Mubarak to Usha Mehta, a freedom fighter during the Quit India movement in Ae Watan, Mere Watan.
“I got a lot of my confidence back as an actor after Atrangi Re, and it was cemented by the love I was given for Zara Hatke, says the actor. But she also says she’s open to criticism and constructive feedback.
“One gets to know one’s weaknesses and what one can do better. I don’t want La La Land happy, and ‘everything is all good’ when it’s not; that’s not the life I envisioned,” she reveals.
Acknowledging that she has been lucky to have the canvas and opportunities she has had, Sara says she wants to liberate herself from basing her self-worth on validation and appreciation. “I want love, appreciation, and validation; it’s normal to want those things, but my sense of self has stopped depending on that,” she says thoughtfully.
Speaking of her family’s role in shaping her profession and personality, she says her mother, Amrita Singh, remains one of the key influences in her life. “I always go to her for advice, but she tells me to honour my instincts. She also told me to choose the correct filmmakers. Which I feel I have done so far in my career. I just want to be able to do my job well,” says the actor.
Her brother Ibrahim is gearing up to make his Bollywood debut opposite Khushi Kapoor in Karan Johar’s Sarzameen and can take a leaf out of her six-year career, which has had both highs and lows. “All I can tell Ibrahim is to embrace this journey that will have highs and lows. It will be his own, and he will need to learn and live it,” she says.
The restraint and maturity Sara exudes are in contrast to the gregarious image of her that has been created on social media. She is forthright when she says that she has to take some of the blame. “I got caught up in showing you what you wanted to see and took it to another level. Now I am just being me and true to myself,” she says.