Actress Adah Sharma who is known to play light hearted roles in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Tamil cinema has surprised her fans with the short film Chuha Billi. Directed by debutant Prasad Kadam, the film that’s streaming on YouTube, also stars actress Anupriya Goenka.
“I play Katrina, an actress who is suffering from depression and is bipolar. Chuha Billi is a dark film. It tries to capture the dark realities of the world. In real life, I am quite a positive person but this character is very negative,” says the actress who is known for films such as 1920, Hasee Toh Phasee, S/O Sathyamurthy, Rana Vikrama and the Commando franchise. Chuha Billi follows best friends Seerat and Katrina who share an apartment.
Although it’s only about 15 minutes long, it’s an insightful film that taps into the issues of mental health, society and relationships. It’s a psychological thriller. But the kind of response Adah has received from people is quite surprising. “It’s not a horror movie, but many people have said that it’s even scarier than my horror film 1920, so I am quite thrilled,” she says, adding, “The short film format has helped me explore my acting skills further. I am glad that directors are offering me such roles that help me move away from the character of the quintessential Bollywood heroine.”
Even her recent outing as a transgender in the web series Pati Patni Aur Panga was well received. Adah is breaking boundaries with her experimental choices. “I think my journey is just getting very interesting. People reacted so positively to my role and it was all over social media. I am very proud of the show, and going forward people will see me in roles that haven’t been explored by other actresses,” says Adah, who is now prepping for the fourth installment of Commando. “I reprise my role of Bhavana Reddy, the character I played in parts two and three. In this installment, Bhavana is more sarcastic and funnier than her usual self. I will be seen performing high octane action scenes just like in the previous Commando films. I am glad to be part of one of the biggest action franchises in India. My role is quite different from that of other actresses in action films, that usually feature women as damsels in distress,” says Adah. On the OTT front, the actress will be back with season two of The Holiday, and down South, her next Telugu film Question Mark, a thriller, is ready for release.
ayeshatabassum@ newindianexpress.com
@aishatax