Sara Ali Khan says she doesn’t mind her less screen time when working in big films with popular male actors. She will soon be seen opposite Varun Dhawan in Coolie No 1.
More than her screen time, being a part of a good story is a priority for actor Sara Ali Khan, who says she is not in the film industry to “compete” with her co-stars. Sara, daughter of actors Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, made her debut with Abhishek Kapoor’s 2018 drama Kedarnath and followed it up with filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s cop comedy Simmba, co-starring Ranveer Singh.
The 25-year-old actor, whose last release was Imtiaz Ali’s romance drama Love Aaj Kal, is returning to the comedy genre with David Dhawan’s Coolie No 1, opposite Varun Dhawan. Women have successfully led comedies, with Hema Malini in Seeta Aur Geeta in 1972, Sridevi in the 1980s with Mr India and Chaalbaaz, Karisma Kapoor, Juhi Chawla and Raveena Tandon in several David Dhawan films across the 1990s.
Recent Hindi comedies, however, have had little to offer its female leads, with stories mostly revolving around the men, who drive the film and its humour. When asked what her experience – after featuring in two big-scale comedies – has taught her about the space for women in the genre, Sara said she doesn’t compare herself with her co-actors.
“When you’re working with people like Ranveer and Varun, aapki aukat nahin hoti (you are not in a position) to make such comparisons. You’re just thankful that people like Rohit, David sir, Ranveer or Varun are working with you. You just don’t want to compare these things.
“Screen time doesn’t matter because these people teach and inspire you so much. You are narrating a good story, entertaining people, so who cracked which joke is a battle I don’t want to get into,” she told PTI in an interview.
