EXCLUSIVE: Sobhita Dhulipala: Our industry is a mela, a circus and we are all circus monkeys

Miss India Earth 2013, Sobhita Dhulipala is two films old in Hindi cinema. Talking about how she managed to get a foothold in the industry, the actress added, "Acting is far too consuming to be called a hobby. I learnt Hindi and then went for countless auditions. I would step out of my house with a bag, which had a set of ethnic wear, corporate attire and smart casuals. The rejections I faced during that time made me angry and fiercely determined. I didn’t get a lot of commercials because I wasn’t the typical bubbly Punjabi girl. Then one day, I was called to Mukesh Chhabra’s office to audition for a film. I was stunned and asked him, ‘Is this (audition) tape going to be watched by a director?’ Within an hour, Anurag Kashyap was in the office. He is one of the few directors I respect in the industry.”


She further continued, “In 48 hours, I was doing my debut film and within the next six months, I found myself at the Cannes film festival. It felt as if I was hallucinating. Working with Anurag and Nawazuddin Siddiqui made me realise that they respect the medium. The choices they made also helped me to set a benchmark for myself. Cannes film festival was also an eye-opener. Everyone there — from the filmmakers to the working-class people — who came to watch movies, respected cinema that had the power to influence. It made me realise that every filmmaker has the responsibility to create something worthwhile. I was nominated for my performance at Cannes as part of Critics’ Choice for my supporting role (in ‘Raman Raghav 2.0’), but nobody cared about it back home. Our industry is a mela, a circus and we are all circus monkeys. I don’t think we should take ourselves too seriously."


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