I try to learn from every co-actor I work with : Kiara Advani!

#KiaraAdvani’s original name happens to be #AliaAdvani. She is now a very successful star and has stated that the name change was suggested by superstar #SalmanKhan as #AliaBhatt was already a big star by then. About eight years back she debuted with ‘#Fugly’ but the film could not be a box office success. Later Kiara got noticed in #MSDhoniTheUntoldStory wherein she played Dhoni’s wife’s character co-starring late #SushantSinghRajput. Kiara got a setback again as her film Machine was declared a flop. In between she did a web film #LustStories with #VickyKaushal which was produced by #KaranJohar. Undeterred she went down south to make films and was reasonably successful. Kiara was part of #MaheshBabu starrer Bharat Ane Nenu which was one the highest grosser telugu films. She starred opposite Ram Charan in Vinaya Vidheyak Rama but it didn’t fare well at the box office. Then ‘Kabir Singh’ happened and since then she has not looked back. This Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s romantic intense drama was a blockbuster and Kiara’s role was hugely appreciated. When she was on the promotional rounds of ‘Good Newwz’ with Akshay Kumar, the crowds at Chandigarh were chanting Preeti, Preeti…,her characters name from Kabir Singh. She had said, “It was overwhelming. Truly Kabir Singh was a career changing moment.” “I was nervous when big stars were around me initially but Akshay sir, Kareena mam were accommodating and made me utterly comfortable. I must say that Akshay Kumar is a team player and involves everyone in all sorts of activities. When he asks for ‘one more’ retake then it definitely is for a prank. Everyone of us have been the ‘Shikaar’ of his pranks. But it helps in building the bonding. I try to learn something or the other from my co-actors. From senior actor like Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan and even Diljit Dosanjh, I have acquired a few things like, punctuality, professionalism, unity etc”, added Kiara when she spoke about the film Good Newwz.

Now Kiara Advani will soon be seen in Anees Bazmee directorial ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ with Kartik Aaryan. It’s a horror-comedy and a franchise film. While interacting with our Sr Editor Keerti Kadam, Kiara Advani expressed, “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is not a sequel nor a copy. Only the title is borrowed for a fresh story. No doubt a few elements from the earlier Bhool Bhulaiyaa are retained but it’s a new story presented in an entertaining fashion. Frankly I detest watching horror movies but I have watched Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and did not get spooked. So anybody can watch it. Actually the film is made for the family audience and though there’s horror quotient in it, the comedy portions will make you laugh incessantly. The film has romance, relationships, thrill, suspense, comedy. You name it and our film has it. It’s a through entertainer and an entire family can watch it together in a theatre.” Interestingly Kiara doesn’t believe in supernatural powers but is easily spooked.

About the excitement of her film releasing in theatres with 100% capacity after a gap of almost two years, Kiara said, “I am super excited. After such trying period of pandemic and lockdowns our movie is releasing in theatres. Actually it’s making me nostalgic. I used to go to theatres with my family to watch movies and that prompted me to become an actress. In fact I was lucky enough to work with Kareena Kapoor Khan as I was and still am her die hard fan. It’s so invigorating to share screen space with your idol. She is damn cool and eats anything under the sun, including cheese, Vadas etc. In fact during the shoot of Good Newwz she would advice me to keep changing food, not sticking to same vegetables so as to throw away the monotony in eating. In fact Akshay Kumar sir used to make sure that everybody had food together, as a family. And the best part of working with Akshay Kumar was that by lunch time, it used to be pack up. Coming back to Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, I assure you that it’s a family entertainer and an engaging watch.”

In recent times a lot of Hindi remakes are being made of successful South Indian films. “Bollywood has been making a few remakes of South Indian films but I don’t think it’s dependent on it. The remakes take place because the producers feels that the subject should reach the wider audiences. No doubt, recently a few films dubbed in Hindi made a good business in the Hindi belt. Quite a few Hindi films have been remade or adapted in South Indian languages with the same thought process. But the popularity of OTT platforms will curb this trend because the original content is available on OTT. I did Kabir Singh when the OTT platforms were not that popular. But now I’ll be sceptical to do a remake if the original is already on OTT though I do not mind doing an adaptation”, said Kiara. Bhool Bhulaiyaa was a remake of a Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu. On whether she watched it ot not, she said, “I haven’t watched an entire film. I watched it in bits and pieces and there’s a reason for that. For getting the hang of the climax I did watch a particular portion of the film. It was a tough scene and I have put in a lot of hard work in it. Chinni Prakash sir has choreographed the scene beautifully. The trailer we have released is misleading in the sense that something unimaginable happens and I can’t reveal it now. But I assure you that the film is exciting and entertaining.”

Writer-Director Anees Bazmee has come on board and has directed #BhoolBhulaiyaa2. Talking about him Kiara said, “He is a master craftsman. He knows exactly what he is doing. He’s a King of Comedy director. He has an impeccable sense of humour and he keeps the atmosphere on sets very light. It was fun shooting under him as he’s spontaneous and believes in improvisation. Believe me, comedy is the toughest genre to make. Comedy is a serious business and making people laugh is the most difficult task. But Anees ji manages it with ease.” When asked about the chemistry between her and #KartikAaryan, Kiara said, “Kartik and I know each other before he came into the industry. We belong to the same age group and I know him from before he did Pyar Ka Panchanama. We started our career around same time. Both of us have tasted failures initially. Both of us have experienced turn-around in our careers. We are friends so it helps in building up a chemistry on screen.”

Kiara Advani too have ‘filmy’ connections. She is related to several celebrities through her maternal family. Yesteryear actors Late Ashok Kumar and Late Saeed Jaffrey are her step-great-grandfather and great-uncle, respectively. Her mother Genevieve Advani is a step daughter of Bharati Ganguly who is the daughter of Ashok Kumar. So, Ashok Kumar’s other daughter Anuradha Patel, actor Kanwaljeet Singh’s wife, is her step-aunt. Intricate but interesting. Kiara Advani is climbing the ladder of success with her own hard work and talent. Her latest outing Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is releasing on 20th May, 2022.