Swara Bhaskar on recent social media experience: I have more trolls than fans

18/02/2018

Zee Entertainment wanting to cash in on the rising popularity of the web medium has launched a new digital entertainment platform ZEE5. The original and dubbed content offered in the app can interestingly be viewed in 12 languages. From the biopic of Sunny Leone to a musical show produced by Badshah, the platform also has a show featuring Swara Bhaskar, who recently made headlines for her open letter on Padmaavat. She will be part of a show called The Story. Indianexpress.com caught up with Swara on the sidelines of the launch yesterday and asked her what made her step into the digital world. “I think it is the future. We are actors and since we are not bothered by numbers, the web is yet another platform for us to perform and connect with the audience. I solely choose my projects in terms of content, my role and performance,” shared the actor, who had also played the lead in the popular web-series It’s Not That Simple.
Talking about her appearance in the series The Story, the actor shared, “It is a very interesting concept wherein one celebrity will get featured in each episode. They will share a story from their lives, which could even be a false tale. I am in one of the episodes, and it’s a mad story. I really had a great time doing it.” We further asked her if she found any difference in web production compared to films, to which she said, “I think it’s a very professionally managed setup, so not much of a difference. But yes, unlike films, you don’t have the luxury of time and have to get the job done in the short schedule.”
Although she has tasted success in the web world, Swara is not too keen to enter television. “I have played a sutradhar (narrator) for Samvidhaan but I haven’t thought about the fiction genre. I am more interested in limited series than soap based. I can’t work as hard as TV actors and toil for long hours. I am very lazy that way,” she quipped with a smile.
Swara also shared that she is excited that It’s Not That Simple will be back soon with the next season. Giving us an insight of the shows that she recently got hooked on, the Raanjhna actor quipped, “I recently watched Big Little Lies and was completely blown away by it. It’s so impressive to see that issues like domestic violence, child abuse, and bullying have been made into a gripping series. I think Hollywood series are setting examples with its women producers and protagonists.”
The mention of women also got Swara to talk about her upcoming film Veerey Di Wedding, that’s set to release on June 1. “I had the most fun with the team. Everyone involved, be it Sonam (Kapoor), Kareena (Kapoor), (Shikha Talsania) and even the producers Rhea (Kapoor) and Ekta (Kapoor), everyone had a great time, without making anything glitched. All of us have seen different levels of stardom but that did not stop us from forming a sense of fraternity feeling and teamwork. It’s a myth that women cannot work together, and we broke it completely. Trust me, we did not even have one fight,” quipped the Anaarkali of Aarah star.
Lastly, now that she is enjoying the digital medium, we asked her about social media, where she received a lot of wrath after her open letter. “Now I know I have more trolls than fans. But I am not a flippant person, and I stand by everything I say. Trolling is a different kind of bullying and I don’t want to give in. But yes, I am now more aware of the kind of hatred out there. I did not speak anything that’s disrespectful or vicious and so I am not really bothered.”
Swara made her big screen debut with Madholal Keep Walking and has films like Tanu Weds Manu, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Nil Battey Sannata, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Aurangzeb to her credit.

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