Stepping into the world of movies as a rank outsider, she beat several odds to find her niche with standout roles in projects like raanjhanaa (2013) — and went on to headline movies like Nil battey Sannata (2016) and Anaarkali of Aarah (2017). Unabashed and confident, Swara Bhaskar draws from her strong sense of self — and the world around her – and today effortlessly straddles the domains of commercial and indie cinema. Shraddha Jahagirdar-Saxena spends time with the thinking actor who is poised to showcase a new avatar next year in the romantic comedy Veere Di Wedding.
The inner spaces of a bungalow in a quiet corner of Byculla are abuzz with unusual activity on a Sunday morning. And dot at the appointed hour Swara Bhaskar walks in, clad in a pair of distressed jeans and a simple top, her recently-cut short hair gently brushing her shoulders.
I look at her with curiosity while the introductions take place — and my mind, of its own volition, rewinds to two of her latest reel avatars that have lefta strong imprint on my mind. Just a few days earlier, I had watched Chanda Sahay — the feisty mother in Nil Battey Sannata — who thinks completely out-of-the-box to inspire her daughter to dream, even though this means that she, herself a bai, has to go back to school and learn her lessons — and that too in her child’s class. And, in the second stellar act that lives on in my memory, the actor slips sensuously into the skin of Anaarkali (in Anaarkali of Aarah) — a professional dancing girl who raises a battle cry and seeks first justice and then vengeance when her modesty is violated. In the process, she underlines the importance of respecting a woman’s consent in a given situation — whether she is a prostitute, a dancer or a wife. Swara, as I recall, breathes fire and intensity in both the renditions. And the passion and determination that have fuelled the Delhi-born girl when she bravely ventured into new territory are amply evident on screen.
Swara is soon comfortably ensconced on a chair in front of the bulb-lined mirror. She talks laughingly about the ministrations of her team to beautify her, and confesses that she scarcely peeps into a mirror to see how she looks (even though by her own admission she was vain as a child) — a very un-actor like quality.
Denne historien er fra December 2017-utgaven av Verve.
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Denne historien er fra December 2017-utgaven av Verve.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Making Amends
This generation’s penchant for thoughtless consumption gets Madhu Jain roiled up, and she wonders if nature is getting its own back for our missteps…
Diamonds With Provenance
In keeping with the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility, Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer at Tiffany & Co. and chairman and president at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, enlightens Shirin Mehta on the efforts that make the jewellery giant an industry leader in transparency
SARTORIAL ECONOMICS
Sisters Tashi and Tara Mitra demonstrate to Akanksha Pandey how deviating from the mainstream can bend the way we think, live and dress
NOTES TO SELF
An anthropomorphized tiger’s perspective, a viscerally worded futuristic interpretation of loss, a critique of performative activism, a meta reflection on the earth’s crises. Told through different lenses, Janaki Lenin, Indrapramit Das, Keshava Guha and Roshan Ali’s stories — written exclusively for Verve — attempt to make sense of the fraught reality that we exist in today
The Eternal Optimist
As Generation X and xennials grapple with fully transitioning to conscious living, young millennials and Generation Z are leading the charge to reverse human-caused environmental damage. Sahar Mansoor, founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based zero-waste social enterprise Bare Necessities, has a simple overarching philosophy: consume less and stay positive. Verve gets deeper into the mindset of the action-oriented earth advocate
Redemption SONGS
Indian music festivals have been demonstrating a refreshing sense of responsibility in terms of their ecological impact. Interacting with stakeholders who strive to make these large-scale events greener, Akhil Sood investigates the reasons behind the improved attitudes of audiences and the increase in corporate support.
earth hour
Crafted using nature’s elements, these dials draw inspiration from the many heterogeneous materials and hues around us.Verve turns its lens onto a mesmerising few
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Children are holding adults accountable for both the grim future they are facing and the toll this is taking on their mental health. Madhumita Bhattacharyya initiates conversations with families of young climate activists and observes the extent to which parenting has changed in the face of catastrophe
NATURAL JUSTICE
Most of us are only just waking up to the urgency of climatic action. When the stakes are so high, what can individual action solve? Mridula Mary Paul, an environmental policy expert, is proof of the tenacity needed to effect systemic change. It’s not glamorous, and the rewards are few and far between, but that doesn’t stop her from aiming big, finds Anandita Bhalerao
Along For The Ride
Navigating Indian streets as a woman is hard enough. But what is it like while riding a bicycle? Bengaluru-based Shreya Dasgupta, a regular cyclist, speaks to five urban women about the pros and cons of this increasingly popular means of transport.
