Swara Bhaskar: Every actor wants to play the lead in a film

After getting rave reviews for her role in the acclaimed drama, Nil Battey Sannata (2016), Swara Bhaskar is now looking forward to working in another solo starrer Anarkali of Arrah. Although the actor has played varied roles in her eight years in the industry, she feels solo films are important for an actor’s career. “They help you make your niche in the industry. Every actor wants to play the lead in a film,” says the Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015) actor.

However, Swara doesn’t shy away from the fact that she has had a “chequered career”. She says, “I have done supporting parts and lead roles simultaneously. In 2013, I had two releases —I played the lead in Listen... Amaya, and I had a supporting role in Raanjhanaa. I never saw myself as a character actor or a lead actor; I’ve only seen myself as just an actor. My first role was a lead in a film that was never released, so I always saw myself as a protagonist. I don’t know what the industry thinks.”

Ask Swara if she now wants to stick to films with just one female lead, and she says, “Any actor would want to play the lead in all the films that they do, but you never say never. I wasn’t the lead in Raanjhanaa, but people loved and remembered my character.”

Swara says that in addition to getting her appreciation from the masses and letting her reach a wider audience, Nil Battey Sannata (NBS) made a difference to her career as well. “In fact, within the last year, after a family-oriented film like NBS, I will be seen next in a bold film,Anarkali of Arrah, that talks about pertinent issues in our society with regard to women. I also starred in a web series in between. It is satisfying for me to get such a variety of work. I feel things are paying off now. I am in a happy place in my career,” says Swara.

The actor says she is not apprehensive about acquiring a bold image, especially after her bold roles in her web series and her next film. “When I didn’t worry about the image of a hero’s sister or a jilted lover, then why should I be concerned about a bold character? I am not squeamish about these tags. I am an actor and I pick up projects I have faith in. There is no question of having doubts. I work with people who I know I can trust to execute their vision,” she says.