Sara Ali Khan has often said that the best way to deal with trolls is to ignore them. However, in a recent interview with film critic Anupama Chopra, the actor opened up about how the Love Aaj Kal trolling actually hurt her. “I’m here to act. That’s my job. That’s serious and it is my profession. So when I’m trolled for that, with all the confidence still intact, it’s harder for me to sit back and say ‘ignore the trolls’. Because suddenly, for the first time, it kind of hurts. And it hit me.”
Sara also added that she has been trolled a number of times for being fat, for wearing a hat and colouring her nails in a quirky manner. “As a girl who has never really derived her confidence from the way she looks, I don’t mind being trolled for being ‘fat’... I don’t mind being trolled for wearing a hat... both of which has happened before,” the 24-year-old actor said.
However, she did confide that the response to the Imtiaz Ali directorial did upset her.
“It hit me because all the trolling before that had been about things I don’t really pay heed to. I don’t think it’s anybody’s business as to what colours my cap or nails are. However, I act for my audience, and seeing their reactions did upset me.”Sara Ali Khan, Actor
Anupama also asked Sara about a particular dialogue (Tum mujhe tang karne lage ho), which became a butt of memes on Twitter. To which she replied, “We weren’t allowed to see the monitor. I had no idea what it was looking like. I’ve spoken to Imtiaz sir about this and I think what’s also happened is that I don’t look good in that. There is a stereotype about heroines when it comes to Bollywood. Even if they cry, laugh, eat, they always have to look good.”
“When it comes to people trolling and saying I’m overacting, I’ll be honest. Every day on set, not only was I acutely aware of what my character had to feel but also Imtiaz sir made me feel exactly what Zoe was to feel at that point. Now, that is Imtiaz sir’s vision and my attempt, so that was not a ham shot on our part.”Sara Ali Khan, Actor
Sara did say that there were people who tried to show her a silver lining. “Some people have said it’s because of the low angle shot where my mouth was looking bad, others have said that only a portion of the scene has been shown, thereby people haven’t understood the context. But the truth is that a part of the audiences haven’t liked it. I think there’s something to be taken back from there, and I hope that there are portions of me they really like.”
Love Aaj Kal, also starring Kartik Aaryan, will hit theatres on 14 February.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)