Earth is filtering itself: Kiara Advani

Earth is filtering itself: Kiara Advani

Last year, she “had no time to breathe” with two back-to-back releases, and shooting for five (including an OTT film, Guilty) films. But right at the start of 2020, Kiara Advani has all the free time in hand. “In 2019, I was running around so much, working on one film after the other. At one point, I was like, ‘Am I doing enough, or am I doing too much?’ Now, I can confidently say I was happy I was doing that [running around],” she says.

Calling the Covid-19 pandemic/lockdown “an extraordinary situation”, Kiara says she is “very much a home person by nature.” “In normal circumstances, when I’m at home, I’m the happiest. But now, earth has pressed the pause button and is filtering itself. But it’s great to see that we’re all now finding happiness in basic, simple things of life, and are also coming together to lend a helping hand selflessly,” she says.

So, how is she coping? “To start with, I must say that we’re surely the privileged ones, and we can only be grateful to God for that. With a roof over our head, we don’t have to worry about our next meal etc. As for my headspace, during the first lockdown, it was about doing something that you haven’t done before. But lockdown 2.0 is all about my hobbies, and rediscovering art such as painting and even cooking, which are extremely therapeutic,” she says.

Kiara is also finishing reading all her scripts. “Plus, I’m using this period to polish my Urdu and Hindi diction. I’ve also gotten back in touch with so many of my friends and even school teachers. There’s a feeling of oneness and togetherness that we are all in it together,” says the actor, adding that she “missing going out on sets.” “Once things become ‘normal’, I’ll immediately meet my team members, and also a lot of friends and extended family members. I also want to go back to a theatre and enjoy a movie with my popcorn,” she says.

Work-wise, a day after WHO announced Covid-19 pandemic, her film, Bhool Bhulaiyya 2 makers decided to pause the film’s shoot in Lucknow. “But Shershaah is complete. And just 5-6 days of work was left on Laxmmi Bomb and Indoo Ki Jawani,” she says.

Catching up!

“I’m not much of a reader but reading [books] is surely on my bucket list, and I have a few books too that I want to read. But of late, I have watched a lot of shows as well as films such as Pushpavalli, 9-1-1, Little Fires Everywhere, Special Ops and Knives Out among many others. For some reason, I have been watching a lot of crime-related stuff (smiles). But you can say that I am keeping myself entertained,” Kiara signs off.