Aakanksha Singh, who made her film debut with the Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt-starrer Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017), before turning her attention down South, is back in the Bollywood fold. She will be seen playing a pivotal role in Runway 34, featuring Ajay Devgn, Amitabh Bachchan and Rakul Preet Singh. In a candid conversation with Aparajita Jaiswal, the actress talks about her experience so far in the film industry.
Aakanksha Singh discerns that it is definitely a difficult job to leave your mark on the film industry. She recognizes that it is not only a challenge to leave your mark on the film industry but any field for that matter. “I feel that with so much of competition and so many good actors to compete with you. I feel that you have to be really good in your content and your craft. You have to keep updating your craft, you have to keep learning and with every project you have to prove yourself,” she persists. “The audience is really very smart. They like to see good content and good actors and it definitely is a challenge to give them what they want to see. So I would say that yes it’s difficult but it’s not impossible and if you are good I think that the audience will love you. Perhaps it may take time but it is not impossible at all.”
“My journey so far as an actor, has been so good. I’m really grateful that I’m living my dream and I’m doing what I love. I’m very fortunate and grateful that I’ve got an opportunity to be in this industry and to be an actor. If I see my graph I would say that from here on I would really want to explore more and do more and more work and I always believed in quality rather than quantity.” The actress says feeling rather proud of the wonderful work that the movie-goers have been fortunate enough to see. “I’m really very proud of all my work and from here on out I really hope and wish that I’ll get more opportunities to perform better and to showcase my talent more.”
Aakanksha Singh is making headway into the industry with warp speed as she is expected to release multiple new projects in the coming few months. The actress is excited to reveal her new project, a south anthology film, which is releasing on OTT very soon. Another one of her projects, an originally Telugu series, Parampara, dubbed in 7 languages including Hindi, is expecting its second season to release in July. Aakanksha plays 3 different age groups in a new Hindi series which is expected to be announced soon.
“There are so many actors I look up to,” Aakanksha says. “But if I had to choose one name, I would say, both nationally and internationally, Priyanka Chopra. What she has done for herself and she really made our country proud. So, anyone who is dreaming to make it big, she is an inspiration and it’s amazing to see where she is at right now.”
Aakanksha Singh is a true inspiration for those of us constantly worrying about where life will take us. “For me it is very important to live in the moment and I always try to live in the present. I am really enjoying the kind of projects I’m doing and the opportunities I’m getting. I don’t know where it will take me but the work satisfaction I’m getting is more than enough and I feel like if my work is good and if the audience is liking me, definitely it will take me somewhere. Nobody can plan that and I don’t plan my future. I go with the flow and I am just enjoying the process and without even thinking what will be there for me tomorrow.”
Aakanksha Singh talks about the ease with which she slipped into the character that she played on screen for the movie Runway 34. She felt right at home with the character. “I would say easiest of all was runway 34. My character Samaira Khanna was easiest to slip into of all the characters I have played. It was not only just the character but the environment that I shot in. It was smooth and everything was in place. I feel that as a team, we enjoyed working together. So yes, that was the easiest character I feel, without any hesitation, I just slipped into.”
Aakanksha Singh talks about her favourite character amongst all the ones she has played so far. “There are two short films, and both the characters are really close to my heart. One is Methi ke Ladoo where I played Radhika and the other one is Kaid. Both the characters were very complex to play, I would say. As I said, the easiest character was runway 34 Samaira Khanna but these two characters were really difficult to portray because there were so many complex emotions and I really enjoyed that.”
The actress shares her views on Body Positivity and Women Empowerment. “I feel women empowerment and body positivity is much too correlated. I feel that it is very important for a woman to be empowered with the education and with a sense of self-worth. It is very important to accept yourself as you are. When it comes to body positivity as well, it is very important for us to accept ourselves and also accept others; the way they look and the way they are there. There should not be any judgement passed over. You have to be very comfortable in your skin. Recently I stated in one of my posts as well, how much I love myself. Initially I was not very aware of how I was not putting myself on the front foot but now I have realised it is important to love yourself, to work on yourself and to love the way you are. So I think it is very important to accept the fact that everybody is different from one another, and female empowerment also comes when you lift each other. One female can lift the other and they can cheer for each other. It is very important to know the importance of education and take your own decision in your life. I think the two are correlated as we talk about both being empowered and body positivity. One thing which plays an important role is the self-confidence that we have. It is very important to have that and we need to love ourselves.”
Aakanksha Singh talks to the young readers of the magazine and says, “Life is too short so enjoy each and every moment of your life. Just be there, wake up, show up and love yourself as much as you can. Because the only thing which will stay with you is your body and your mind. So train your mind to be a healthy mind, be a healthy body, love yourself and just go for whatever you would like to do and whatever you love just to do. Don’t resist, don’t think much about what will be there for you in the future. Live in the present and just go for it!”
