Kiara Advani: Directors I work with now, will get the best version of me

Kiara Advani didn’t witness stardom overnight, but when success finally found her, it arrived loud, big and impossible to ignore. The actress, who will be seen next in Toxic:
A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, seems more grounded and emotionally evolved than ever in this phase of her life. On the Rustomjee presents Bombay Times Lounge, Kiara spoke with striking honesty about the challenges, breakthroughs and defining moments of her journey, but it was her thoughts on motherhood and postpartum life that truly stayed with us. From the emotional chaos new mothers experience to the pressure on women to “bounce back,” Kiara’s words were raw, warm and deeply relatable. The episode is now live on the Bombay Times YouTube channel.

You had what many would call a slow-burn start in Bollywood. For a while, people knew the name, but most hadn’t seen your true potential. When did it feel like your moment had truly come?
I think there are times in life when you think you know where you’re going, and then life just takes you somewhere else. When I entered the industry with my first film, I thought, okay, I got this. But I soon realised that every Friday has a new outcome. Whether you’re on top of your game or you’re starting out, it’s the same situation – either there are too many choices, so you don’t know what to choose from, or there is a lack of choice. Like you said, for me, it was a slow start. I didn’t see overnight success or quick fame, but now I feel grateful for that, because the experiences in those initial years really grounded me and helped me hold my feet to the ground through every up and down.

You started out nearly 12 years ago with Fugly. Did the journey ever come with moments of jitters and self-doubt that tested your confidence?
Yes, but I feel like that jittery feeling is still there. Even when you have the biggest films or a dream role, you get jitters because at the end of the day, you’re making movies for a wide audience. As much as actors say that we’re not always seeking validation, we are. I’m not making movies just for me to sit at home and watch. I want the audience to watch it and love it. So, validation does matter, and that’s where the jitters come in. But for most part, it’s always Friday jitters. When you’re making the film, the confidence level is high, and the excitement is high, because you know you’re making a good movie, you wouldn’t be a part of a movie that’s not good, right? And then comes Friday, and with it, the jitters.

Your daughter Saraayah is ten months old now. Everyone talks about the ultimate joy of motherhood, but very few speak about the chaos it brings. Tell us about both – the joy, chaos and the surprises that come with being a mom.
I don’t think people really prepare you for that. Now that I have been through postpartum for so many months, I can probably make light of it. I tell all my friends who have already had babies that you all didn’t prepare me for this, though I know that this is such an individual journey. No one talks about the guilt you feel, the chaos outside you and inside you. Initially, it’s the chaos inside you because biologically, there are so many changes that you go through, your hormones are crashing and your mental space is somewhere else. It’s simply life-changing. I don’t think life-changing has a more apt example than this – the transition into motherhood. That’s the way nature has made this – no matter how much change it brings to a father’s life, for the woman it’s that much more because she is the nutrition of the baby, the one carrying the baby, delivering the baby and then feeding the baby. So, there’s no denying what a mother’s role is in a child’s life, and the fact is that the chaos is also very real. The best way to get through it is by supporting women around you. I feel the most successful women today are those who are supported by other women.

The moment you become a mother; the conversation often shifts to ‘When will she make a comeback? Will she be back in shape?’ and more questions in that direction. Did you feel that pressure — from the industry, the audience or even from within yourself? Or has motherhood naturally reignited your hunger as an actor given all the new experiences you’re going through?
The experience is so enriching in every way; I feel directors who will work with me now, will get the best version of me. This journey (of motherhood) has opened a new side to me, to my life and to my understanding of the world. The earlier part of your question when you spoke about conversations about women getting back to work – it’s true. And what is interesting is that – when you’re pregnant, everyone goes like, ‘Oh my God, you’re glowing, this, that.’ And the minute you’ve had a baby, it changes to, ‘Abhi moti lag rahi hai, thodi yeh lag rahi hain, thodi woh lag rahi hain.’ When you are pregnant, you are this devi and the minute you deliver the baby, they expect you to be back in shape and back on track. But the hardest part for the woman is after. That is the part where she needs support. They say it takes a village to raise a baby. It takes a village to raise a mother. That is the time you need to nurture this woman who is now adapting to a whole new role in her life and figuring out how she’s going to balance her identity and play the role of a mother, daughter, wife. I must thank all the women before me who’ve done this and made it look easy and the ones who have laid the foundation for us. I think each one of us will now make it easier for the next one to come.

What are days at home like now? I am certain the entire vibe of the house has changed?
Oh yes! It is Saraayah’s house and Sidharth and I live in it. Basically, her toys and playmats are everywhere, and we are living around it.

‘I don’t think working in the South is very different from Bollywood’Having worked with stars like Ram Charan, Mahesh Babu and now Yash in the upcoming film Toxic, when asked how different the working culture in the South industry is compared to Bollywood, Kiara said, “There may be slight cultural differences, but at the core, we’re all Indians, so there’s a similarity. Sometimes when we are working with bigger stars in the South, we have a six o’clock pack up, which is great (laughs). That apart, I feel that I’ve had a fairly similar experience with working in Hindi and Telugu films. Toxic (Kannada) has been challenging because for the first time we shot in both English and Kannada. I would literally mug up my dialogues the previous night of the shoot. All the ratta maroing (mugging up) I did back in school, came to good use.

Title Sponsor: RustomjeeShot at Parishram by Rustomjee, Pali Hill, Bandra (W), Mumbai





Watch the full episode of the Bombay Times Lounge with Kiara Advani on the Bombay Times YouTube channel