Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
Bollywood

When Someone Tries To Shut You Down, It Tests Your Conviction: Swara Bhaskar

IANS, 27 Mar, 2018 01:37 PM
  • When Someone Tries To Shut You Down, It Tests Your Conviction: Swara Bhaskar
She is frank, honest and fearless. Actress Swara Bhaskar believes in acknowledging the "good" as well as "not-so-good" realities of the film industry and says when someone tries to shut her down, is when she gets more strength to rise above the fear and that it is a test of her conviction.
 
"Life teaches everyone as we go about living it -- it is normal," Swara told IANS when asked if the incidents when she has been questioned for speaking her mind have affected her as a person or made her stronger.
 
"With the rise of social media, however, I feel, speaking and thinking has become a contested space where people get to question you and tell you what to do. I think that the time when someone tries to shut you down is the test of your conviction, and that gives me the strength to rise above the fear of 'what will happen if I do this'," she added.
 
The 29-year-old, who made her debut in filmdom in 2010 with "Madholal Keep Walking", has essayed some strongly opinionated roles in films like "Nil Battey Sannata", "Anaarkali of Aarah" and "Listen... Amaya". Her on-screen persona is no different from off screen as she believes in speaking her heart out.
 
Her critique of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Padmaavat" as a movie that glorifies Sati and Jauhar sparked a war of words between celebrities with some supporting her while others dismissed her point.
 
 
 
Asked what makes Swara different from other Bollywood actresses, she said: "Everyone has their way of looking at matters, and everyone's opinions are bound to differ. I believe in frankly acknowledging the good as well as not-so-good realities of our industry.
 
"I am an outsider who has found perfect harmony in the kind of work I do here, but I am also willing to voice my disappointment every time I find something off."
 
The actress is currently being featured as one of the women changemakers in Season 3 of Levi's #IShapeMyWorld campaign. It is driven by the insight that in a world that still tries to restrain women from achieving their potential by fueling insecurities about themselves -- whether it is about her "body" or her "being" -- there is an increasing number of stories of women who took their chances and beat the odds.
 
Swara feels she has literally shaped her world in Bollywood by speaking out.
 
"I believe in speaking my mind and being frank. My parents gifted me the feeling of fearlessness. I believe in looking beyond existing stereotypes in my industry -- right from gender discrimination; to pre-defined characteristics of a typical actress; to the portrayal of women in society.
 
 
"My belief in rising above fear and speaking out is how I shape my world," added the daughter of well-known strategic analyst C. Uday Bhaskar and professor of film studies Ira Bhaskar.
 
She said she never thought of speaking out or doing what she feels like as something that requires strength or as something out of the ordinary.
 
"I always believed myself to be a regular urban Indian kid. It is easier for me to be myself and make the right choices that way. This is who I am and have always been."
 
Being a girl child in a country like India, the best gift she got from her parents was the quality of being "fearless".
 
"As individuals too, it is very important for us to interact with the society around us. I am what I am because of the upbringing my parents gave us as children, and they continue to teach me to believe in myself and do everything with conviction."
 
On the big screen, Swara will next be seen in "Veere Di Wedding".

MORE Bollywood ARTICLES

Producers Shouldn't Invest In Star-driven Movies Initially: SRK

Producers Shouldn't Invest In Star-driven Movies Initially: SRK
 Shah Rukh Khan says that producers should not begin their journey in film business by investing in "big star-driven movies" as they are really expensive.

Producers Shouldn't Invest In Star-driven Movies Initially: SRK

Amitabh Bachchan Uploads Resume On Twitter For Deepika, Katrina

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has jokingly uploaded a job resume on Twitter emphasising on his height.

Amitabh Bachchan Uploads Resume On Twitter For Deepika, Katrina

PICS: Purab Kohli Marries Long-time Girlfriend Lucy Paton In Goa

PICS: Purab Kohli Marries Long-time Girlfriend Lucy Paton In Goa
The Rock On!! actor got married to his long-time British girlfriend Lucy Paton on February 15.

PICS: Purab Kohli Marries Long-time Girlfriend Lucy Paton In Goa

Driver Held For Allegedly Masturbating In Front Of Marathi Actress

Driver Held For Allegedly Masturbating In Front Of Marathi Actress
Noted Marathi actress Chinmayee Surve-Raghavan faced an obscene situation when a man came out of a car and masturbated in front of her on Monday and complained to police, who managed to trace and apprehend the perpetrator within a few hours.

Driver Held For Allegedly Masturbating In Front Of Marathi Actress

Actress Priya Varrier, Who Winked Her Way To Fame, Seeks Quashing Of FIR Against Her

Actress Priya Varrier, Who Winked Her Way To Fame, Seeks Quashing Of FIR Against Her
Actress Priya Prakash Varrier, who recently became an internet sensation for her wink in a song of a Malyalam movie, today moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of an FIR lodged against her in Telangana.

Actress Priya Varrier, Who Winked Her Way To Fame, Seeks Quashing Of FIR Against Her

Amitabh Bachchan Meets Twitter Officials

Amitabh Bachchan Meets Twitter Officials
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who threatened to quit Twitter after losing followers earlier this month, met some officials from the micro-blogging site to understand the digital platform.

Amitabh Bachchan Meets Twitter Officials