New Delhi. The unprecedented success of ‘The Kerala Story’ and the powerful character of ‘Shalini Unnikrishnan’ made Adah Sharma one of the most popular actresses of Indian cinema overnight. However, with the announcement of the second part of the film, fans were shocked when Ada’s name was not included in it. Ada Sharma, in a special conversation with News-Patiala Hindi, broke her silence on this for the first time and clarified that as an artiste, she gives priority to the honesty and reality of the character. According to him, it is not right to present a serious character like Shalini in an irrational manner just to make her a part of the sequel. In this interview, he has shared his frank opinion on the choices and controversies of his career.
‘The Kerala Story’ created a new history in Indian cinema and your character of ‘Shalini Unnikrishnan’ became famous in every household. Now that there is talk of the second part of the film, the fans are a bit disappointed not to find you in it. Was this your own decision or were the demands of the story such that you were not needed in it?
I always say that my fans are very supportive of me. Love me very much. As you said, Shalini’s character became famous in every household, hence one should not tamper with that character. ‘The Kerala Story’ was about ISIS and it shows how this girl Shalini becomes a terrorist and she narrates her entire story from jail. I believe that if someone is a terrorist in real life, he should be in jail. I don’t think it is right for Shalini to come out of jail just to be in the sequel, but in sequels like ‘Commando’ or ‘Sunflower 2’, even if you think I am dead, I can come back alive. This is possible in any fictional character like 1920 or Rita Sanyal. This is my belief. If I have been offered a role in the sequel or not, then in my opinion the discussions should remain between the producer and the actor and should not be made a topic of discussion in public. The first part was based on the story of ISIS camps in Afghanistan and showed step by step how an innocent girl becomes a terrorist. Part 2 is a different story.
Often actors want a ‘closure’ (end) after coming out of a deep character. Do you feel that Shalini’s story was complete in the first part and now is the right time to hand over that legacy to someone else?
According to me, Shalini’s story itself is incomplete. The end can never be completed. Part 2 is a different story.
You got a lot of success with this film, but controversies also did not leave you. Is one of the reasons behind not being a part of ‘Part 2’, is that you now want to stay away from controversies for some time and focus on a different kind of cinema (like comedy or action)?
Whenever I do a film, after its release people ask me – will you do only this genre now? When I did 1920, everyone said that now you will do only horror films? When I did ‘The Kerala Story’ and ‘Bastar’, people said that now you will do only realistic films. Then I did ‘Rita Sanyal’ and ‘Sunflower 2’, which were completely different from reality. When I did Commando, everyone said that now you should do only action films. I take it as a compliment and try to play whatever character I play as realistically and honestly as possible.
After ‘The Kerala Story’ the audience’s expectations from you have increased a lot. Now that you are no longer a part of this franchise, what kind of characters are we going to see Adaa Sharma in in the coming times? Can we expect a real-life inspired story again?
I want to do all genres. I am doing a biopic which might be controversial and another film based on true events. Besides, I am also doing a horror film. If I am a part of a film and there is a controversy on it, then I am ready to go through fire. I am not afraid of it, but when I am not a part of any film, I do not like to speak on any controversy just to be in the news.
