As a young actor, Tara Sutaria says she is lucky to have bagged her first titular character in the upcoming movie "Apurva", an opportunity she believes comes few and far between in the film industry.
The 27-year-old, known for films such as "Student of the Year 2", "Marjaavaan" and "Ek Villain Returns", credited "Apurva" director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat and producer Murad Khetani for being by her side.
"There is a huge responsibility (to play a title role). I also feel if you truly have belief, if you really love what you do that responsibility, pressure is sort of taken off a little bit or a lot. I am lucky to have the support system that I have had on this film.
"From the get-go, I have had Murad sir, Nikhil sir back me, support me, understand me and believe in me... I'll be very honest this has been an experience of a lifetime and that responsibility and that pressure felt instantly reduced or maybe removed because of that," Sutaria told PTI in an interview here.
Set in Chambal, "Apurva" is billed as the story of an ordinary woman who faces extraordinary circumstances and will do anything to survive, according to the official synopsis. The thriller also stars Abhishek Banerjee, Rajpal Yadav, and Dhairya Karwa.
Sutaria said playing the role of Apurva was challenging but the team made the process much easier.
"As a young actor, it's a unique position to be in because roles like this are not often written. When they are written, as a young person in this industry it's very exciting, but you know that this is not going to come your way very often. You feel like this is the shot to get it right.
"I've been a part of set-ups where it doesn't feel as easy and that takes a toll on you, personally and professionally. The role was challenging but they made it so much easier. And to work with actors as generous as... I got to know Rajpal sir through this film and I knew Abhishek a little bit before the film... We, individually, went through a lot in this film, whether it was in the action bits or emotionally," she added.
Sutaria also hopes to break her glamorous image with the upcoming movie.
"As an audience member, this is the kind of film I want to watch. This is different from how I'm perceived, therefore it's more exciting and rewarding... This is the kind of film I resonate with. It's powerful, talks about something and is an experience, that's what films are all about. This is the kind of thing that motivates me to be in this industry even more."
Growing up, the Mumbai-born actor said, she was much more into theatre. If she wasn't at her ballet or singing class, Sutaria said she spent most of her evenings at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai watching musicals and operas.
"It was quite far removed from the Hindi film industry. So, there's a lot of newness and learning for me. I'm still relatively pretty new to all of this."
But she has always connected with the thriller genre for some reason, she said.
"I love thrillers, edge-of-the-seat stories that make me feel excited. I love the horror genre as well. People don't connect that with me because of the perception I've had for x amount of time but hopefully this ('Apurva') will change that and lots more in this space soon," she added.
"Apurva" will start streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from November 15.
