A sickle in hand, dirt smeared across her face, Tara Sutaria stares back fiercely at you from the poster of Apurva. The actor plays the eponymous character in Kill director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s survival drama.
Tara, who made her acting debut in Punit Malhotra’s Student of The Year 2 in 2019, says breaking perceptions is a daunting task.
“Nobody even in the industry believes that this is actually what I want to do. They think that just being in the kind of setup where you are glamorous or you look a certain way and perhaps have less to do is what I want to do. No, that’s not all that I want to do. This is the space I wanted to explore since my first film, and this is my sixth movie,” she says. “Yes, it is super fun to sing and dance, and it is nothing to be ashamed about. But, I feel hundred percent that this is something that has been life-changing personally, and hopefully professionally as well.”
Tara shares that playing a young woman whose life takes a drastic turn after she is kidnapped was emotionally and physically challenging. From not taking a shower for a week to project the aura of fear and filth, to driving a jeep in the desert, Apurva’s character was demanding.’’
“It is a dream role for anyone new and young in the industry. Also, this sort of story is not often told. It has been a long time coming. This kind of powerful role written for actresses is what we need more of. I am sure other young actresses are also dying to do stuff like this … and we all should do them,” says Tara.
A fashion and style icon, she acknowledges it is her personal life that has always been in the spotlight rather than her professional one. But she’s firm that she doesn’t feel the need to address Bollywood’s overactive grapevine or rumour mills.
“People don’t know very much about me because I don’t tend to talk a lot about what I am going through. Neither am I very good at social media. That’s something that I’ve been very clear about since the beginning,” she says. “But I am trying to be better, and I do want people to know about me, and Apurva hopefully is the start,” she adds with a smile.
A singer and theatre actor, Tara reveals that her biggest fear is that she won’t be able to sing again. “I am focussing so much on films; but singing is my truest love, and I feel it may be taken away from me if I’m not able to tap into it often enough,” she laments.
Apurva premieres on Nov 15 on OTT.
