Manushi Chillar: Being an outsider comes with a sense of pride and you have to start from level zero
Miss World 2017 and actor Manushi Chillar opens up about not having any background in the industry and wanting to study medical in the initial years.
Manushi Chillar had a dream debut in Bollywood when she got to play the lead opposite Akshay Kumar in Samrat Prithviraj (2022), however the film didn’t do dream business at the box office. While the actor still calls herself “fortunate” and describes her journey as “very exciting”, she admits being an outsider, things can be somewhat difficult and different.
“Being an outsider comes with a sense of pride and believing in yourself. That’s because when you explore something absolutely new in your life, it builds a certain innate confidence that cannot be done if you keep exploring familiar shores,” says Chillar.
Irrespective of the failure of her first film, the 26-year-old is looking forward to her upcoming releases including The Great Indian Family, Tehran and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. “I agree being an outsider has its own set of challenges, but that’s what makes it more fun because I’ve always believed that anything that’s exciting is never easy. So, I am excited for my next films,” says the actor, who calls herself an “introvert”, but confesses that equally enjoys “being on the stage, and in front of the camera”.
Chillar’s brush with glamour world started with a beauty pageant and she was later crowned Miss World. Acknowledging that winning an international pageant gives you a “certain platform”, she adds, “The whole country gets to know about you, and a lot of people want to launch you. It also gives you a lot of camera exposure before you actually enter the industry.”
However, she is quick to point the disparities between pageantry and acting. “At the same time, it’s (acting) is a very different field than being in a beauty pageant. There are many good things that Miss World adds, but at the end of the day, you’re an outsider, and you have to start your journey and understand the whole industry from level zero and grow from there,” says Chillar, noting that with fame, came the challenges of adapting to newfound public attention. “When you have lived a reserved student life, getting such public attention is a big change and it takes some getting used to. It can be a little overwhelming for a girl who’s only 20,” she quips.
Chillar studied medicine but didn’t pursue that for a profession instead, ventured into acting. Though she is content with her choices, as she tells us, “I have no regrets, and I am very happy with what my life has turned out to be. My first passion is still somewhere in healthcare, and I keep in touch with the field. At the same time, I really enjoy what I’m doing, I love my work. Also, you don’t always have to be a doctor to add value to the healthcare system. There are other ways to do it differently.”