Actress Adah Sharma found a new height of success in her career following the release of her film ‘The Kerala Story’ which became the top-grossing female-led Bollywood film even surpassing Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi.
However, amidst the accolades, Adah remains uncertain about her standing in the industry's hierarchy.
In an interview with News18, reflecting on the unexpected success of The Kerala Story, she recalls how the film's journey from a "small, intimate" project meant for film festivals to a commercial triumph left her questioning her place in the industry.
“When I was doing The Kerala Story, my director told me that it’s a small, intimate film being made for film festivals and that it may not be meant for a big release,” she was quoted saying.
“And still I gave it my all without thinking if ten people would watch it or millions. Now people say that it’s a big A-list film but when we were making it, I don’t know what list we were in,” she added.
Despite gaining recognition from fashion designers and seeing a change in their attitude towards her, Adah remains sceptical about being considered part of the elite "A-list."
For her, the concept of A-list stardom is nebulous, prompting her to redefine it as "Adah's list." She questions the validity of such categorizations, especially when newcomers are heralded as A-listers while seasoned actors are overlooked.
“There are some people who haven’t made their debuts yet but are already on that list. And strangely, actors who have done five films aren’t. I’m yet to find out what that means because everyone’s definition of that list is different,” said the Commando actress.
Adah vehemently opposes the practice of classifying actors into rigid lists, viewing it as derogatory and discriminatory. She sees it as a limitation that hampers individuality and refuses to be confined by societal constructs.
On the work front, Adah was last seen in the recently released Bastar – The Naxal Story, which is reportedly based on the real-life incidents of Naxals in Chhattisgarh.