Swara Bhasker has always wowed audiences with her versatility. She won hearts with her performance in movies like Raanjhanaa, Nil Battey Sannata, and Tanu Weds Manu, among others. The actress, who has a few projects in her kitty, is currently dealing with the demise of her grandfather. In an exclusive interaction with The Free Press Journal, Swara talks about her grandfather, friendships, the upcoming movie Jahaan Chaar Yaar, and more. Excerpts:
What was your relationship with your grandfather like? Were you close to him?
I was closer to my nani (maternal grandmother), who died in 2017. He was 88. My nana lived a long life but — bura toh lagta hai. He was an interesting man and lived on his terms and conditions.
Tell us about your movie ‘Jahaan Chaar Yaar’.
It is a cute title. What I like about that song is that it is picturised on men. Here we have taken the same song and used it in four married women’s stories. The cutest thing about this film is that, traditionally, road trip films have been made with cool characters. This is the first time a coming-of-age film with four married housewives is being made in a small town in India as the main character. Society dismisses such women, considering them behenji-turned-modern women. It is quite a derogatory way to show someone down. The film has re-appreciated this term and will show how sassy and cool these behenjis are. It was beautiful that a man had written this script and captured it beautifully.
A still from the film
The film is also about friendship. What is friendship according to you?
Yes, they are supporting and helping each other find voices for themselves. I feel women have always been a huge support to each other. I remember my nani was in touch with her friends for almost 60 years. Women have always comforted each other. It’s now we are seeing these things on screens. We see that in Natya Shastra’s character named ‘Sakhi’. She is confident, sometimes a guru. The idea of friendship is entrenched beautifully in our own culture. However, we don’t recognise it.
I have been fortunate because I have always had good friends. My friend from Bollywood is Sonam Kapoor Ahuja. We have been friends for a long time. But I have also retained my friends from my school and college days. These people knew me before I became an actor. They don’t care about my stardom or celebrity life.
Do your friends advise you on your social media activities?
They never said to do this or that. I have a good and supportive set of friends that I can hang out with. Some old friends, who are like siblings to me, fight and reconcile in this manner. We share a sibling relationship and know every detail of my life. They watch me make mistakes and even if I don’t agree, they still support me. I have been lucky.
What are your upcoming future projects?
After I finish Jahaan Chaar Yaar, I will be in another film called Mrs. Falani. Manish Kishore is the screenplay, dialogues writer and also the director of the film. It’s an anthology with nine short stories and in each, I am the protagonist. The theme is about women and how they forget their smallest dreams.
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