Kiara Advani: Machine flopped but Karan Johar noticed me from that film only

Actor Kiara Advani says that all the work that is coming her way now is because people remember her from the MS Dhoni: The Untold Story.

With a debut film that fizzled out without any noise followed by a box office hit and then another that tanked and then a blockbuster, Kiara Advani’s career graph has been oscillating. But the actor says that she doesn’t let success or failure get to her head or bog her down.

Actor Kiara Advani stars in one of the four short films in Lust Stories, which has been directed by Karan Johar.

“I signed my first film soon after I graduated from college. So, my real struggle started after my first film didn’t do too well. But I believe failure only makes you stronger,” says Kiara, who made her debut with Fugly in 2014.

“That film not doing well turned out to be a reason that I stayed positive, got back on my feet and didn’t lose hope. It made me look for movies that I wanted to work in and work hard. Nothing good comes too easy and I’m lucky that everybody I was associated with — my managers, producers, co-stars, they all saw me and liked me as an artist,” adds the actor, who made a successful Telugu film debut with Bharat Ane Nenu opposite Mahesh Babu.

Read | Kiara Advani: Karan Johar could have cast any actor in his film, but he chose me, and that makes me very confident

In her second film, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Kiara played the role of Dhoni’s wife [Sakshi Dhoni] and her performance was received well. But despite such good response, not many films came her way. Asked if she felt upset, she says, “It’s actually otherwise. That film in fact opened a lot of doors [for me] and brought me closer to the audience. People know me as Sakshi from that film and that, I feel, is the biggest high for any actor, when audience connects with you and your character.”

Grateful for all the love she got, she adds, “All the work that’s coming [my way] now is actually because people remember me from Dhoni’s biopic. Directors, producers, casting people, they all enjoyed my performance, so I’d say it rather changed a lot for me in terms of career.”

Post this, her next venture, Machine (2017) flopped and drew a lot of criticism, too. However, Kiara says she didn’t lose hope at all. “To be honest, the film gave me a lot in the sense that I got to work with wonderful directors [Abbas Mustan] in a different kind of cinema. I danced in a song [remake of Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast], which is now played at all parties and weddings and people love it,” says the actor, sharing that she landed a role in Karan Johar’s recently released short film, Lust Stories, because of this song.

“Karan took notice of me because of that song and he liked my work in it. So, even when a film doesn’t work, I feel, everything contributes at the end of the day. Sometimes, the fate of a film is not in your hands and you can only take home some experiences and what you got to learn during the journey,” she adds.

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