Actress Nushrat Bharucha added to the debate about Bollywood's often-criticised underlying 'patriarchy' as she told PTI that she is not delusional about her value as an actress and also how the industry is going to perceive her in the years to come. Nushrat Bharucha, who co-starred with Kartik Aaryan in the Pyaar Ka Punchnama series of films, told news agency PTI: "We live in a patriarchal world but I am not going to play a victim. I'm making my own world and in my world, I know that Kartik will be playing a hero at 50 and I will be getting roles of a mother. That's how the industry functions."
Nushrat Bharucha added that she has accepted the workings of the entertainment industry, even if it means getting side-stepped by the Bollywood hero: "His (Kartik's) trajectory will always be more glorified and would seem larger than mine. Just being aware of where I'm makes things easy for me. I'm happy with my journey."
While 2011 release Pyaar Ka Punchnama marked Kartik Aaryan's Bollywood debut, Nushrat Bharucha was already a few films old but this was her big break. "Cinema is my passion. The reason I'm in movies is because I love acting. When I did Pyaar Ka Panchnama, honestly there were no other films being offered because I don't fit in the conventional bracket of a Bollywood heroine," Nushrat told PTI.
The 34-year-old actress revealed she got the role as no other actress was willing to take it up: "No other female actor was willing to do it and I also almost said no. But then I did it and I saw what a good script and film can do for everybody in the team. That realisation set my sensibilities slightly different from the commercial track. Even if I am playing a bad girl in the movie (people hated me in PKP), the purpose is solved."
After Pyaar Ka Punchnama, her next film with Kartik Aaryan was Akaash Vani, which was a failed attempt but she won the audience over with 2015's Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 and 2018 release Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety.
Earlier this year, Kriti Sanon lodged a protest in an interview with Mumbai Mirror after Kartik Aaryan was primarily credited for the success of Luka Chuppi. "This business of overlooking the leading lady has been going on for a while and it's so unfair. I am glad this conversation is finally happening. It's logical to talk about only the male protagonist when the leading lady doesn't have a lot to do, but when they are both carrying a film on their shoulders, the credit should be equally shared. Everybody deserves a mention," she told the publication.
Nushrat Bharucha features in recent release Dream Girl, co-starring Ayushmann Khurrana.
(With PTI inputs)
