Meena Iyer (BOMBAY TIMES; November 21, 2015)
She's petite, spunky and her expressive brown eyes flash fire. That's Nushrat Bharucha, fresh from the success of Panorama Studios' Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 (PKP2). Like most greenhorns, her short career in Bollywood is dotted with hits and misses, but today everything else is overshadowed with the box office numbers of her last release, which was produced by Abhishek Pathak and Kumar Mangat Pathak.
Sitting opposite me like an earnest child, she explains that all that is happening has been unexpected. She says, “Our director Luv (Ranjan) Sir was confident that PKP 2 would do well. However, we were skeptical because my co-star Kartik Aaryan, Sir and I had seen failure in Akaash Vani.“ Fair enough. And then what? She continues, “Last week, I took director Bejoy Nambiar with me to see the film and was pleasantly surprised that it is still running to packed houses.'' Will she work with Bejoy shortly? “I have my fingers crossed. Both of us have been keen to work together since Love Sex Aur Dhokha. But nothing materialised,“ she says.
Quiz her what the future looks like and Nushrat replies, “With PKP 2, I have tasted success again. It has taken me to a place where conversations have opened up. Now, people want to meet me and give me a narration. PKP 2 has given the entire cast the platform that we so desired. Where we head from here and how far our talent carries us, etc. we don't know because everything is not in our hands. You know how Bollywood functions. There have been occasions in the past, when I know I'm the deal fit for a role, but I didn't get cast. That happens a lot o me and I do not understand why. This film has given me the space where I can talk to people and say his is my work, so please work with me. It's easy to get lost in Bollywood.'' She admits she is inspired by Nawazuddin Siddiqui and states, “He had miniscule roles in his earlier films. But today he is on top of his game.“
Nushrat is confident that now she will be heard above the din. “When your film hits the box office, people are forced to take notice,“ she signs off.
Sitting opposite me like an earnest child, she explains that all that is happening has been unexpected. She says, “Our director Luv (Ranjan) Sir was confident that PKP 2 would do well. However, we were skeptical because my co-star Kartik Aaryan, Sir and I had seen failure in Akaash Vani.“ Fair enough. And then what? She continues, “Last week, I took director Bejoy Nambiar with me to see the film and was pleasantly surprised that it is still running to packed houses.'' Will she work with Bejoy shortly? “I have my fingers crossed. Both of us have been keen to work together since Love Sex Aur Dhokha. But nothing materialised,“ she says.
Quiz her what the future looks like and Nushrat replies, “With PKP 2, I have tasted success again. It has taken me to a place where conversations have opened up. Now, people want to meet me and give me a narration. PKP 2 has given the entire cast the platform that we so desired. Where we head from here and how far our talent carries us, etc. we don't know because everything is not in our hands. You know how Bollywood functions. There have been occasions in the past, when I know I'm the deal fit for a role, but I didn't get cast. That happens a lot o me and I do not understand why. This film has given me the space where I can talk to people and say his is my work, so please work with me. It's easy to get lost in Bollywood.'' She admits she is inspired by Nawazuddin Siddiqui and states, “He had miniscule roles in his earlier films. But today he is on top of his game.“
Nushrat is confident that now she will be heard above the din. “When your film hits the box office, people are forced to take notice,“ she signs off.