I know my value as an actor, says Shraddha Kapoor

Shraddha Kapoor has her head firmly screwed on to her shoulders. Having had a taste of failure earlier on in her career, the actress believes she’s learned to value success a lot better. And while she sheds the oodles of weight she put on to shoot for Haseena, Shraddha talks about love, fame, movies, and everything in between. Excerpts from a freewheeling chat with the versatile actress.

What made you do a film as intense as Haseena?
Haseena is in a different space altogether from the movies I have done before. All my characters have been different, but this is a kind of movie I can’t slot in a specific zone. It’s a titular character I’m playing, which is different from the earlier characters I’ve played.

How difficult is it to shed the extra kilos that you had gained for Haseena?
I’m struggling to lose all the weight. But it’s just that I have become a very manic binge eater, so to break out of that habit was the most challenging part. I have to look a certain way for my upcoming films, so I’m in the process of losing all the weight.

Is it difficult for you to lead a normal lifestyle?
I may be a public person, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a regular person. I’m anonymous in other parts of the world. You all can be as rooted as you want to be. I want to be as normal as possible. I repeat my footwear quite often and I step out without an effort. I want to be myself. You have to look presentable most of the time; there’s a certain decorum that I maintain. I respect who I am.

What’s the flip side of being this famous?
I value it all very much, and I value everything that comes with it. I enjoy when people come to me and talk to me, and approach me for selfies. There are days when you feel like just walking on the beach without being noticed. Now, I’m unable to go to the beach. I can’t just walk wherever I want to on the roads. I do miss that.

Your brother, Siddhanth Kapoor seems to be quite possessive of you. How does he react to link up rumours written about you?
He’s protective, but he’s not possessive. Back in school, there were crushes more than there were boyfriends. He would ask the guys to behave themselves if he felt they were misbehaving. I don’t know if he reads any linkup rumours, because he doesn’t ask me anything. We talk about very different things. We discuss what we ate, we discuss each other’s health, and we check on each other.

Your past few movies have bombed at the box office. As an actor, how do you deal with the downward curve?
I feel there’s no constant. Sometimes you do well and sometimes you don’t. I don’t feel like that because I’ve battled this at the very beginning of my career. It started on a massive low, but I didn’t feel like giving up. That taught me where my focus should be.

God is in the work, and that reinstated my focus for me. The praise and love that came along, I feel like I valued it a lot more. I’m not sure I would have valued it as much, had I gotten it with my first film.

Those experiences of not doing well, while starting off, really help. There are days when we feel low, but then there are days when you feel you can conquer the world.

There were reports that you have slashed your price for your next films…
I’m not aware of this news. But my main priority is to be a part of films. Of course, there’s a certain value you get, so I’m happy. I think that for me, my main idea has always been to do good films. I don’t know how people here work, but I know I want to be a part of the best. You should be happy and comfortable with whatever you do. You can’t be so black and white about it, but I know my value. I also know how much I want in order to be a part of a film.

Alia Bhatt may be taking up Aashiqui 3. Does that change things for you?
Is that confirmed? It’s awesome if it’s true. And I’ve always been fond of Alia. The fact is that the Aashiqui franchise is huge. I’m excited that they’re going ahead with the franchise.

Is there a sense of envy when you see contemporaries doing well?
I always compare myself to only myself. I compare it to what I’ve done earlier. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be happy for others who are doing well. You can share your happiness. We should be celebrating, and there’s enough room for everyone.