BETTER than BEFORE

Anushka Sharma has spun a dynamic career on her own terms, and in stellar fashion. Good thing the sky's the limit

- BARRY RODGERS

I have a confession to make: I’ve never seen a film starring Anushka Sharma. But on a sleepy Saturday in January, I decided to end that streak. While the obvious choice would have been to watch her in Band Baaja Baaraat or Jab Tak Hai Jaan, I decided to opt for the sleeper hit, NH10. When the young, attractive, urban professional Meera (Sharma) urges her husband (Neil Bhoopalam) to run away from the men who are terrorising them, she reacts instinctively. When she turns around to face the enemy, she makes a choice. What Sharma achieves in the one hour and 55-minute run time isn’t a performance, but an embodiment. Her body language in the feature film is frightening and fascinating. It almost feels like she doesn’t know how to occupy her body. Through the course of her ordeal, I noticed a repertory of tiny arm straightenings and body adjustments and head tosses and hair touchings, as she tries to come to terms with the cards life has dealt her. I couldn’t help but also notice her smoking technique; she handles her cigarettes with the self-conscious bravado of a seasoned pro. And note that there is only one moment in the movie where she seems relaxed and at peace with herself; you will know the scene, and it will explain itself.