Anushka Sharma is persuasive as a woman who knows what she wants, and good company when a film belongs to someone else. We like her grounded playing more than the mannerisms that can creep into her romantic roles.
Fi1m perspective
In PK (2014), Anushka Sharma makes Jaggu agreeable company while Aamir Khan remains the main attraction. We warmed to her because the grounded performance helps the comedy feel companionable, even when its plot needs indulgence. Rajkumar Hirani gives her a place beside a larger comic presence, and she makes that place worthwhile. It is a good indication of what we value in her: she can be lively and determined without making every appearance feel like a demand for our attention.
Her early films established the energetic romantic lead, beginning with Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), opposite Shah Rukh Khan. The breakthrough came with Band Baaja Baaraat (2010), where Shruti Kakkar’s ambition as a wedding planner gave that energy a practical focus. NH10 (2015), her first production as well as a leading role, took her towards tougher material. The connection is the determined woman, but the thriller asks for a harsher form of that determination than the romantic films do.
The risk is that the liveliness becomes mannered, as it can in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016). Softer romantic material does not always serve her as well as the grit of NH10. She need not abandon romantic comedy; the animation needs to belong to the woman she is playing. That is the aspect of her acting we would most want a director to keep in check.
In PK, the limits are different: this is Khan’s film, and it would be misleading to treat Sharma as its neglected centre. Our affection for it rests chiefly on him, though her company helps make a generous 153 minutes worth spending with these people. Making a long comedy pleasant to sit through is useful work, and her contribution deserves notice without being inflated. Start there, with the understanding that she is part of the attraction rather than the whole reason to watch.
Biography
Anushka Sharma is an Indian actress and film producer who works predominantly in Hindi cinema. She made her acting debut in the romantic drama Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008).
Sharma starred in Band Baaja Baaraat (2010), Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), PK (2014), Sultan (2016) and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016). In 2013 she co-founded the production company Clean Slate Filmz with her brother Karnesh Sharma. The company produced NH10 (2015), in which she also starred, as well as Phillauri (2017), Pari (2018), the series Paatal Lok (2020) and Bulbbul (2020).
