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EXCLUSIVE: Aahana Kumra on Betaal: Wearing prosthetics didn't faze me; opens up on meeting Shah Rukh Khan
In an exclusive chat, Aahana Kumra opened up on wearing prosthetics for Netflix original Betaal, meeting Shah Rukh Khan and more. Read.
Aahana Kumra rose to fame with Lipstick Under My Burkha which was received much well. She made her debut on Netflix with Betaal, a series co-produced by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment, Blumhouse Television and SK Global Entertainment. The series also stars Suchitra Pillai, Viineet Kumar, among others. In an exclusive chat, Aahana opened up on wearing prosthetics for the show, meeting Shah Rukh Khan and more.
Did she have any apprehensions about wearing prosthetics given that not many would be okay with it? To this, Aahana said, "Honestly, I think I want to be remembered for the parts I play. When I see films of actresses who have inspired me, I don't think I have watched their movie for their beauty but for their work and so I can learn from them. Not taking away from actresses who are beautiful or who get glamorous roles, I feel everyone gets a certain kind of roles and we play it to our best abilities. I think no one has ever put me in a box considering me beautiful, they have looked at me from a character point of view and I have got some good roles because of that. I have lived so many lives because of the kind of character offered to me. Hence, it was not a difficult decision for me, but in fact, it was very easy. When Patrick told me I will be wearing prosthetics for the part, how many women have got these opportunities? Very few. I got this opportunity. She is a very feisty character."
The show has a strong political statement within the subtext. Did it bother you as an actor or did you see it as a risk to take it up? "As actors, I feel we need to take a stand and not be afraid to play great roles. Like I said earlier as well, I may not agree with what Accidental Prime Minister said, but I played Priyanka Gandhi because it was a great role. Imagine, if I had said no to it only because I didn't agree to it... it would be a missed opportunity," Kumra added.
Lastly, opening up on her meeting with Shah Rukh Khan, she exclaimed, "Yes, I did meet him. My EP called me when SRK visited sets because I wasn't shooting that day. I went on the set's editing room and SRK introduced himself to me and I was like 'wow, is he for real?' He is a very shy and observant person. I was in awe of him. My scene was pulled out and he saw it and asked me if I did something like this before and I said I didn't. I kind of left and then my EP called again and asked me to come again. I went back and he was there and it was just nice to sit with other co-workers and just listen to him where he was telling us his experiences. I was just looking at him. I was like can this just continue for 8-9 days. It was nice of him to make us feel inclusive. This is an experience you will take it to your grave."
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