Women Need To Change But Not How Society Wants: Adah Sharma

Adah Sharma has been in the industry long enough to understand what works, what doesn't, and why success or recognition never depends on just one attribute - it's constant work, according to her. The Kerala Story star made her acting debut with the Hindi Horror film 1920 and played versatile roles in films including Hasee Toh Phasee and Commando among others.  

In conversation with SheThePeople, Adah Sharma with a career spanning over 15 years, discussed several stereotypes she battles with, beauty standards she chooses to not abide by, the demanding work, and the evolving role of women in the entertainment industry.

Excerpts From The Interview

Why Women Need To Change?

Sharma was questioned about the weight on her shoulders and how heavy it feels to remind our generation and many others that now women have to change. She explained, "The first step to change is being able to accept yourself and be yourself because you don't have to change." She emphasised how we all have to be ourselves and stated further stages in the process of change as she said, "You have to be you. But we all are trying to be someone else. We are trying to be versions of somebody else that other people want us to be. And I think in the process of that maybe we forget to be ourselves."

Sharma recalled the moment she confessed her wish to become an actor to her parents who took her to an ashram for a week just to let her know that most importantly she has to be a good person irrespective of whatever she decides to do in her life. She recalled her mother telling her "I just want you to be able to amidst all its glitz and glamour and whatever you want to do, but be able to return to being a good person always." which reflects a lot about the actor's conditioning.

Art Of Survival In The High-Pressured

Taking the conversation further, Sharma reflected on the art of survival in her industry where the competition is cutthroat and not just for talent but for several other trappings such as how one looks, how one dresses and so on which were pretty much present in the 1960s and which are pretty much present now. 

Sharma expressed how she believes these trappings are everywhere but on a personal level, she doesn't define her worth from a certain brand of clothing but she defines her worth by how she performs in her work. 

Sharma expressed how she doesn't get conscious about her dress despite the fashion policing, but what would really trouble her is if she thinks she underperformed in her work. 

What Defines YOU?

Sharma expressed that if her worth is to be weighed by herself, it would be her work reflecting her focus on her inner core rather than her outer appearance despite being part of a glamorous world. She explained what makes her Adah who is not just another actor as she denied anything to be defining her. "Oh, I don't think anything should define me." She continued saying "I want to be indescribable. Not being someone who can be put into a bracket, but someone who is ever-changing and ever-evolving." 

Women Fronting Films

Talking about films that are now divided into verticles of cinema, OTT and so on, women are heading the frontlines of the films after decades-long male-centric films. Sharma talked about women claiming that seat for themselves and what kind of landscape women-centric roles are changing in cinema. 

Sharma recalled the opportunity of her ground-breaking women-centric role with her 2023 controversial film The Kerela Story as she stated that people watching such a film widened her opportunities and the spectrum of the variety of roles she is now being offered. 

She expressed how getting such opportunities makes her glad which means people trust her and consider her a "bankable person who can take a film on her shoulders." She shared an instance of a script coming to her which was originally written for a male character but the makers later decided to switch the protagonist to a female. Sharma stated that Indian cinema is moving forward with "baby steps" and believes that we must make more films that are driven by its leading ladies as there is a bigger audience to watch such films. 

Women Vs Beauty Standards

In conversation about battling the beauty standards she and every woman are put into, the actor shared about her journey where she used to be conscious about her dark bushy eyebrows when she started off her career. "It was a painful journey for those "arched brows" where tweezing eyebrows was not just about plucking hair strands, but uprooting skin that often resulted in bleeding due to her stitch marks on eyebrows." The actor recalled questioning, "Who defines these beauty standards?"

But Sharma also shared there are days when she walks out normally and is not dolled up or "very fancily turned out" as she believes it is also necessary for people to see celebrities sweaty or in unbrushed hair and not always perfect looking. She shared how she would not care much about fashion policing and would not give a 10/10 to a certain dress she is wearing if she likes it and expressed how like most of us women, she is also sometimes lazier or a procrastinator when it comes to dressing up. The actor believes that as an actor you should be able to do both. 

Watch the full interview here: