Manushi Chhillar chooses growth

Manushi Chhillar says that for her, acting is about the internal journey — not the commercial performance of a film. The former Miss World stars opposite Rajkummar Rao in Maalik, a period action thriller released in cinemas on July 11. Best known for her roles in Samrat Prithviraj’, ‘The Great Indian Family’, ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, and Operation Valentine, Chhillar plays Shalini, a small-town woman caught in the emotional undercurrents of 1980s Allahabad.

“My focus is on the internal journey, rather than what happens at the box office,” Chhillar said in an interview. “When an audience reacts to your film in a certain way, it gives you a different perspective — sometimes that’s helpful in reassessing your own approach. But box office numbers have never influenced my choices.”

Directed by Pulkit (Bhakshak), Maalik casts Chhillar in a role that, she admits, was not an obvious fit. “Because people have seen you in a certain avatar, they assume that’s where you belong,” she said.

“I wasn’t the natural choice for something like Maalik. Fortunately, it came to me at a time when I was seeking exactly this kind of challenge. I wanted to break out and do something that tested me in a new way.”

To play Shalini, Chhillar immersed herself in the character’s world — learning the language and mannerisms of India’s heartland while developing a nuanced emotional understanding of the role.

The film also stars Saurabh Shukla, Saurabh Sachdeva, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Swanand Kirkire. It is produced by Kumar Taurani under the Tips Films banner and Jay Shewakramani’s Northern Lights Films.

Set against a gritty backdrop in small-town India, ‘Maalik’ follows characters wrestling with loyalty, ambition and survival . — PTI