Adah Sharma, an outsider who made her Bollywood debut in the 2008 film 1920, recently shared her perspective on the pervasive issue of nepotism within the film industry. In an exclusive interview with NDTV's Hardika Gupta, Adah spoke about the impact of nepotism on career opportunities. She reflected on the sentiments often expressed by industry insiders who champion nepotism, stating, "I've watched big wigs of the industry proclaiming that nepotism rocks and I agree with them. Nepotism rocks and is also a huge rock wall but sometimes a non-nepo person finds a small crack and gets through it. That's how The Kerala Story happened and went on to become the highest-grossing female-led film of all time."
Discussing her acting journey since 2008, the Hasee Toh Phasee star described it as a "rollercoaster". She said, "It feels like I've been on a rollercoaster since my debut. The ups and downs used to make me queasy earlier, but now I've gotten so used to the ups and downs I feel like I'm walking on stairs."
When asked about her choice to act in controversial films such as The Kerala Story and Bastar, she explained, "I didn't know The Kerala Story was controversial when I was doing it. It was a film about ISIS victims, a film about terrorism. Only after the film was released, I realised if one speaks the truth about social issues, it will be called controversial. Bastar was a dedication to those who found The Kerala Story controversial. For The Kerala Story, the preparation was different from Bastar. In one, I am a college girl and in the other, I'm fighting a war as a soldier. Getting into the skin of the character is what I enjoy doing. Getting out of a character and preparing for life again is what is difficult but I got directly into my next project, Sunflower season 2, which was fiction where I played a bar dancer and I also had Commando which involved action. So, I had enough to distract my mind."
On the work front, Adah Sharma will next be seen in The Game Of Girgit and Rapchick Reeta. She starred in several projects including Selfiee, The Kerala Story, Bastar: The Naxal Story, Hasee Toh Phasee, Phhir, The Holiday, Meet Cute and Pati Patni Aur Panga among others.