Wanted to experience the Maha Kumbh wholly: Adah Sharma

Actress Adah Sharma, who recited the Shiv Tandav Stotram at the Maha Kumbh Mela this year, calls it “an immersive spiritual experience”. A “spontaneous participation,” The Kerala Story actor says, "I don't plan anything in my life, not my career, not anything else. So, planning is not something I do.” She adds, “The organisers reached out to me to open with the Shiv Tandav Stotram. I realized I'd never been to Kumbh before. My mom had gone last year and shared her experience with me and described the profound spiritual atmosphere.”

What elevated her experience was her decision to recite the Shiv Tandav Stotram without the distractions of technology and not documenting it by taking photos. “We're always on the phone as actors, taking pictures, checking behind-the-scenes content, or looking at things we’ve posted. I thought it would be nice to make this just experiential, and absorb it all live instead,” she says.

I connected with girls performing the Ganga Aart. Though young, they were very strong, it’s not easy to do the Aarti. From Odisha and West Bengal, they are trained in classical dance, adding to the sacred atmosphere of the Kumbh

Professionally, Adah is still absorbing the four projects she did last year, and getting into more “exciting stuff” in 2025. “I had four releases recently: The Kerala Story, which eventually came out on OTT, Bastar, Reeta Sanyal, and Sunflower Season 2. Reeta Sanyal was particularly exhausting because I played 10 different characters in one show, but despite the challenge, I absolutely enjoyed the experience.”

For one who debuted in acting with horror in 1920, Adah feels blessed. “If I was a star kid, I would’ve been launched in a different genre—something more typical, no one would have let me start with something as bold and unique as horror,” she says, adding, “But as an outsider, you start with what comes your way. Looking back, I realize just how lucky I was. I got to do things most people never do in their entire careers—get black teeth, scream, jump off walls, and kill people on screen (laughs).”

No matter the genre, for Adah, every film is romantic. “I began my career with horror, but for me, every genre has its own form of romance. Even in horror, I always approach it like a love story. 1920 is a love story to me because the man is fighting to save his wife because he loves her deeply. Similarly, The Kerala Story is a love story, gone wrong though. I always look for the element of love in every genre because, at heart, romance is my favourite,” she says.



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