Though she made her debut with a film which failed to register much of an impact, Kiara Advani has made a steady ascent towards stardom in the five years she has been in the industry. With multiple films and major brands in her kitty, she is looked upon as the next big thing in the industry. In this interview, she talks about her new film ‘Kabir Singh’, similarities and dissimilarities with the Telugu film it has been adapted from, sharing screen with her first producer Akshay Kumar and continuing to work in the Telugu film industry.
What are the similarities and dissimilarities between ‘Arjun Reddy’ and ‘Kabir Singh’?
We have taken the story from south to north, so the demographic has changed. When I watched the original, I did not feel I was watching in a language I was not familiar with. A lot of people who do not follow Telugu watched ‘Arjun Reddy’ and loved it. We did not have to make a lot of changes. The same man has made both the films, so there would be more similarities than dissimilarities.
You are reprising the role which Shalini Pandey played in the original. Did her performance influence you in any way?
Shalini did a fabulous job in the film and since we are playing the same role, the audience might see some similarities in our performance. I had seen ‘Arjun Reddy’ before the film was offered to me. After I signed the film, I did not watch it again as I did not want to get influenced by it. I just wanted to follow Sandeep (Reddy Vanga) sir’s vision.
You are reportedly doing a digital film called ‘Guilty’ which is being produced by Dharmatic Entertainment Dharma Productions’ digital film.
I am not authorised to speak on any project that has not been announced. I can only talk about the films which have been officially announced by the makers.
There was some controversy surrounding your film ‘Laxmmi Bomb’. Director Raghava Lawrence had walked out of the film and now he is back.
Well, all I can say that we are extremely happy to have him back on the sets. He has directed the original (‘Muni 2: Kanchana’) and he is the best man to make this film. It is unfortunate that the controversy happened but now everything is fine.
You have been a part of two big Telugu films, one of which was very successful. Do you plan to continue working in the Telugu film industry?
Yes, I would love to continue working in the south. In fact, I am reading a few scripts now. If I like something that is offered to me, I will definitely lap it up. I am very much in touch with the people I worked there with.
Akshay Kumar had co-produced your first film ‘Fugly’ and now, you are working in two films with him.
Yes, it feels surreal to have Akshay sir as my co-actor. He was the one who brought me into the industry and now I am getting to work with him in two films back-to-back. Interestingly, ‘Good News’ and ‘Laxmmi Bomb’ are completely different from each other.
