New Delhi: Actor Sobhita Dhulipala graced the 'Ideas of India Summit' hosted by ABP Network, where she joined author and moderator Chetan Bhagat in a discussion about breaking into the film business. During a talk titled 'The Evolution of a Self-Made Actor', the 'Made in Heaven' actor shared her views on what it takes to thrive in Bollywood without cushioning.
Sobhita Dhulipala on making it in Bollywood
Dhulipala, who rose from a humble start to starring in big film roles, spoke about being compared to leading women in Bollywood and being stereotyped as a performance actor.
When asked about whether preferring a more 'commercial' or 'less talented' actor over her makes her feel like she's missing out, she said, “It could have happened on certain days, but then certain moments make me feel like nahi aisa nahi hai (it's not like that). That moment is this moment where I'm sitting in front of these very intelligent people. And just before my session was Kareena Kapoor Khan, who's a blockbuster mainstream actress, and she was interviewed by you. I'm perhaps sitting in the same chair, right after being interviewed by you at this gathering. I've been given this dignity and this opportunity based on the work I've done.”
Sobhita Dhulipala on going from 'geeky' to 'glam'
The actor recalled the time when she stayed away from social circles and her journey to becoming a known face in the entertainment industry and said, "I was not connected to the film world. My only entry point was through auditions. And after my senior year, I was modelling for a bit. As a model, you also do auditions for ads."
"I had always been a classical dancer. So creative expression was a part of my life. I just didn't know that acting could also be it; it just didn't strike me because I think we were conditioned to think of finding a job that gives me security, like academics, and then finding work that gives me financial security. So doing something in the creative field was a bit off the syllabus. But I gave myself three years, and I auditioned. I have done 1,000 auditions in my life," she added.
The actor revealed that she got her first film audition when there were two months left in her three-year deadline.
"I ended up getting that part of the audition. It's for a film called Raman Raghav. That left a huge impression on me. I went to the Cannes Film Festival. I was nominated for my performance. I was just really a kid figuring out the way, so it left a very positive influence on me. That film and that nomination. So from that point on, I thought, I'd love to get the opportunity to do something that has scope for performance," she said.
Sobhita Dhulipala picks between OTT and movies
Sobhita suggested that as an actor she doesn't see much of a difference between two platforms.
"We do our work as actors wherever we go. But obviously, no two things are similar. Today is different from tomorrow, even if you do the same thing. After two days of lockdown where we were sitting at home doing the same routine, we're still different from each other. So I feel, naturally, that there's a difference in everything we do. But having said that, my work as an actor remains largely the same. So there is not much of a difference," the actor said.
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Ideas Of India Summit
The flagship event of ABP Network, the 'Ideas Of India Summit', unites the greatest minds on one platform to talk about the numerous parallels and stark differences that define the largest democracy in the world. 'The People's Agenda' is the theme for the third edition of the annual event, which takes place on Friday, February 23, and Saturday, February 24.
The ideas and concepts that drive India were brilliantly presented in the first two editions under the themes of 'Naya India' and 'Open-Minds Open Minds', and the third edition seems to be no less.