She'll Rock You

KABIR SINGH HAS CATAPULTED HER INTO THE ELITE CLUB. ASHWINI DESHMUKH FINDS KIARA ADVANI ENJOYING THE MOMENT

- Kiara Advani

Fugly, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Machine… Hers was an inconspicuous presence on the showbiz firmament until she jolted everyone with her blatant self-pleasuring act in Karan Johar’s web anthology Lust Stories (2018). Playing the seemingly coy Megha, who lets go of inhibition, won Kiara Advani a legion of young fans, who could connect with her dilemma and the denouement in the film. With the recent blockbuster Kabir Singh, she has rolled into the 200-crore club. As the docile Preeti Shetty, she’s the catalyst in this tale of ruin and redemption front-lined by Shahid Kapoor. Raghava Lawrence’s Laxmi Bomb and Dharma Productions’ Good News, both with Akshay Kumar, promise to up her stocks further. With Telugu hits like Vinaya Vidheya Rama and Bharat Ane Nenu has secured her position in the South, she’s making the best of both the worlds. Kiara Advani is a breakthrough long overdue…

What excited you about Kabir Singh?

It’s my first love story. It’s a passionate, intense and romantic film, which at the same time is real and raw. Arjun Reddy (2017), the original, was a cult film. It was told in an unapologetic manner. It was flawed and imperfect as reality. Sandeep sir (Vanga Reddy) has captured the same honesty. It’s a lot from his own life, it’s so close to his heart. That’s also what made it exciting.

How much were you influenced by the original version?

I’d watched Arjun Reddy earlier. But after I signed the film, I didn’t go back and watch it again. The director being the same, there would be a lot of similarities in the female character, Preeti Shetty (played by Shalini Pandey) in Arjun Reddy and the one played by me in Kabir Singh. I just wanted to follow the director’s vision and stay true to it.