Young, confident and not shy of speaking her mind and heart, Aahana Kumra has had a roller coaster ride in the film industry.
But it is one she’s extremely proud of. “I can very proudly say that I am a success story. I have dabbled in all mediums and I am not afraid to try new things.“
Applauded for her performance in web series Rangbaaz by ZEE5, Aahana says it’s a role that gave her an opportunity to try new things as a performer. “Most of my scenes with Saqib Saleem in the show had been shot on the phone – it was primarily a relationship between two characters on the phone. At no point of time Saqib and I were shooting together during those scenes, and that was very challenging and fascinating at the same time for me as an actor.”
Having dabbled in all mediums from films – tv to digital – Aahana is one of the few actors who didn’t shy away from talking on the #MeToo experience she had to go through in the industry. She accused Bollywood director Sajid Khan of inappropriate behaviour during a professional meeting. “There is so much you go through when you enter an industry as an outsider. It is really not easy for women to make their mark. In this industry, people normalise so many silly things, and I just can't agree with that. So when more people started talking about #MeToo, I got confident and decided to share my story."
Aahana hopes that her actions will inspire girls in the generations to come. "Through my story, if I could give even one or two girls the confidence to say no, or to turn around and speak for themselves, I think I have done something good in my life.”
The talented star will soon be seen in the movie Accidental Prime Minister where she will essay the role of Priyanka Gandhi.
Her latest work Rangbaaz, is based on the life of one of the most feared gangster of 90’s Shiv Prakash Shukla from Uttar Pradesh. It’s an original content from ZEE5, a global digital entertainment platform from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, with over 1,00,000 hours of content. Rangbaaz can be watched on ZEE5 in over 190 countries including Singapore.
Watch Aahana Kumra’s candid conversation with Connected to India’s Punam Sharrma.