 Early Times Report
Jammu, July 9: Bollywood actress Sadia, who made her debut with Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s ‘Shikara,’ said the movie, which is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir valley in early 90s, has changed her life and perception of looking at the World.
Hailing from the picturesque town of Bhaderwah in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, the petite actress, in an exclusive interview to news agency, said her journey from scenic valleys to the big world of Bollywood, has been ‘awesome’.
Talking about her debut movie, she said, ‘’I must say it happened magically.
I had never been to any audition ever before visiting Mumbai. I was pursuing my Engineering from GCET, Jammu and received a call from Indu Sharma, Casting Director from Mukesh Chhabra company, while vacationing in Bhadarwah.
‘’I was stunned when she told me about the audition. At first, I thought it might be some prank call but after enquiring from my relatives and friends living in Mumbai, I found it to be real.’’
According to Sadia, she did not agree for the role in one go.
‘’Indu Maam and Aadil (Co Actor) visited Jammu. She made my father hold a brief interaction with Producer-Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra through a video call.
I came to Mumbai for the final audition and landed this dream project. I was on Cloud nine and felt privileged for getting an opportunity to work with such talented people.’’
Talking about Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra, she said, ‘’He is a genius, I have never seen a 67-year-old man working tirelessly with such an amazing passion day and night on sets.
He is a visionary and one-man University.
‘’Being around him is constant learning. He treated me like a family and never made me feel as if I was away from home. I have love and respect for him, not just as a professional, but also as an individual,’’ the actress added.
Talking about her days in Jammu, Sadia said while she was born and brought up in Jammu, but Bhaderwah was her native place.
‘’We often visit the scenic place to spend holidays and enjoy swimming, horse riding, random picnics and exploring the unexplored destinations. Bhaderwah is like a beautiful painting.
‘’In yesteryears, films like ‘Noorie’ produced by Yash Chopra and ‘No Fathers in Kashmir,’ directed by Oscar winner Ashvin Kumar, were shot in Bhaderwah, which is popularly known as ‘Mini Kashmir’.
‘’However, the place still needs to be explored, so that the World comes to know about it. Hope our industry will come and shoot more in this beautiful place,’’ added the actress.
Sadia shared her experience on the sets. ‘’I was not nervous, but excited. My focus was not on playing the character, but living it. I put my heart into it, to make it look real.’’
Talking about co-star Adil Khan, who is also a fresher in the industry, she said, ‘’I was very comfortable with him. Adil and Indu Ma’am were the first persons I met in the industry. He was like a friend and since this was his debut movie as well, we shared a great chemistry, both on and off the sets.
‘’He is so talented and hard working. I learnt a lot from him. We worked like a family. He made my journey much more comfortable,’’ she added.
According to Sadia, Sridevi always inspired her. ‘’She was commendable and the charm and grace she possessed both on and off the screen, was really motivating,’’ she added.
Talking about Shikara, she said, ‘’It is such a beautiful film. It tells you that when hate is spread all around you, love is your only weapon.’’
The actress told the youth, especially of Jammu and Kashmir, to ‘’Believe in your dreams and work with dedication and commitment to convert them into reality. You should never give up, unless you achieve the target.’’
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