...Are Fearless

What does a whipwielding stuntwoman from the 1930s have in common with a mainstream star with great acting chops from today? ANUSHKA SHARMA and FEARLESS NADIA are both feisty heroines with daredevil personas, finds RAJA SEN

- Raja Sen

 Convention is a safety net. A performer finds comfort and guidance in following in the footsteps of those before and around her. Not Anushka Sharma. At a time when Hindi cinema keeps serving audiences what they’ve already dined on, she keeps challenging herself as an actor and a producer.

When we speak, Sharma’s camped in the back of her SUV. It may be a stretch to draw any parallels between this girl who made her first film with Shah Rukh Khan and a Scottish-Australian stuntwoman who rode a horse named Punjab Ka Beta, but Sharma’s career and decisions are characterised by the kind of moxie that would make Mary Ann Evans proud. There is a defiance of expectation, a bucking of tradition and, perhaps most importantly, a sense of free-spirited adventure. With a woman like this, you never know what you’re going to get.