Now Time is Changed: Interview

Happy days are here for the petite pretty and gentle Shraddha Kapoor. Last year she was struggling, auditioning ferociously for roles and getting rejected. One such role was that in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali production My Friend Pinto which went to Kalki Koechlin And now Shraddha, in all humility, is all set to do Bhansali's production Gabbar opposite Akshay Kumar. Sounding humbled rather than vindicated, Shraddha says, "Times change. It's taken a lot of hard work to get out of the struggler's space. It was very difficult to break out of the struggle. But that period of uncertainty will always be cherished. I've learnt to expect the unexpected in life. Because anything can happen."

Now she's looked on with different eyes. "Yes, the film industry's attitude towards me has changed. There is a drastic change. From flop I've gone to flip (laughs). It feels nice to be finally appreciated. When someone like Anurag Basu called me to tell me he absolutely loved me in Aashiqui 2, it feels very encouraging." Shraddha feels Aashiqui 2 couldn't have happened at a better time. "You know, in spite of being from a film family I had to go through that whole struggle to find a place. I think that struggle has made me a better person and a better actress. There were days when I'd audition while my faithful sets of friends patiently waited. Then I'd come away without grabbing the role. Of course it hurt. But my family and friends were there to hold my hand. And how would I enjoy the current phase of positivity if I didn't have the other experience of failure?" There were many humiliating experiences, like a film where Shraddha actually signed and shot before she was replaced. But she would rather not dwell on the dark. "Finally it's talent that counts. I truly believe your talent will be spotted sooner or later. Of course it helped that producers knew me as Shakti Kapoor's daughter. But I've done so many auditions where I've been rejected. I don't hold any grudges. Who knows, I might be working with the very people who replaced me."