Adah Sharma has been in the film industry for 17 years, but as she puts it, “it feels like 105”. From her breakout role in 1920 to the blockbuster The Kerala Story, Adah Sharma has quietly carved a space for herself in an industry often accused of gatekeeping. In this candid interview, she talks about the long haul, criticism over controversial roles, her diet staples, what keeps her grounded (spoiler: millet dosas and squirrel sightings), and why she’s not here to promote nepotism. Read the edited excerpts below:
Adah Sharma: It feels like 105 years, honestly. From 1920 in 2008 to now in 2025. But all my bones are still intact!
Q: Has your career trajectory turned out how you dreamed it would?
Adah Sharma: I didn’t even know I was allowed to dream this big as an outsider. I definitely couldn’t have imagined being where I am today.
Q: The Kerala Story has become your most prominent film. How was the experience?
Adah Sharma: Traumatic, exhausting, and at the same time, very fulfilling. We had no idea it would become so big. Thanks to the audience. Even a year later, people come up to me and talk about specific scenes with so much emotion. It’s nice to know we could transport them into the story. Their insights and understanding of scenes and my performance are so touching.
Q: The film also faced heavy criticism and controversy, was likened to hate speech, and was even called a blatant lie. How did you handle it?
Adah Sharma: I thought everyone would stand against terrorism, and rape, and support a film about girls being forced into it. I understand now why some people had a problem with it and called it a lie. A lot of people react in certain ways because of their political affiliations. For me, the film is about the plight of girls being forced to become suicide bombers. The backlash had started 10 days before the release. But once people watched the film, the love we received drowned out the disapproval from those who didn’t even watch it.
Q: Did the negativity affect your mental health?
Adah Sharma: Not really. If criticism comes from people who haven’t even watched the film and are just reacting politically, I don’t take it seriously. I’m grateful I live in a country where women like me are free to act, travel, dress how we like, and where even my critics are allowed to openly make very personalised hate remarks against me publicly, and others are allowed to say they love the film. Freedom of thought and speech is very important for me. Our film did get banned, though, in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Q: Do you feel the industry has given you your due, especially as an outsider?
Adah Sharma: There are several projects where I feel I have gotten my due. My debut in 1920 – I believe it was the role of a lifetime! To get to do all those crazy things in my very first film. The Kerala Story, Bastar, Sunflower season 2, and my latest release, Reeta Sanyal, where I got to play 10 characters in one show. I think I’m very fortunate. In Telugu as well, from my debut Heart Attack, which I still get so much love for. That said, I also think nepotism is doing very well and doesn’t need me to promote it.
Story continues below this ad
Dressed in white attire to resemble a bird, Adah Sharma peers through bars while being locked up in a cage as part of ‘Let birds fly free, don’t cage them,’ a PETA campaign. (Express photo by Dilip Kagda)
Q: What’s the most challenging part about being an actor today?
Adah Sharma: Being misquoted for clickbait headlines, and answering those ‘what would you steal from someone’s closet’ and ‘who would you like to be marooned on an island with?’ questions. They give me severe anxiety. I start thinking, how long will we be on the island? What’s the sleeping situation? Do we bathe in the ocean? What do we do for food? Am I responsible for the other humans’ safety since I got them there? The list goes on.
Q. You seem to be a person with many talents, including knowing all the elements of the periodic table by heart. But what is that one thing not many people know about you?
Adah Sharma: Just like the X-ray machine can see the bones, I can read people’s minds. Very, very clearly.
Q. What is the most challenging thing you have done for a role?
Adah Sharma: I used to practice playing a dead bird when we shot 1920. There is a scene where I eat a raccoon and then run and lie down like a dead bird. Birds, when they die, harden up. So I used to lie in contorted positions around the house, as still as I could, and hold my breath.
Q. What does your daily diet entail?
Adah Sharma: It’s different every day. Rice is a staple, so are idlis and dosas. We make millet dosas when I’m home, so there’s quinoa or raagi dosas. Also, seeds are a big part of my diet, especially when I travel. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds are high in protein and antioxidants. I’ve been a pure vegetarian since birth, and I don’t eat onions.
Q. You are playing a goddess in your upcoming release. Do you not fear backlash from the audience, since religion has always been a sensitive topic in India?
Adah Sharma: In Hinduism, Devi resides in every woman, so I think the film’s presentation will please the viewers.
Story continues below this ad
Q. You are pretty active on social media. Is it something you do out of will, or is it something your profession demands of you?
Adah Sharma: I definitely use it out of will, and I think the randomness of my feed is proof. I like sharing random stuff from my life: a squirrel who comes to my house, a flower that grew in my garden, the BTS of how a shoot actually took place. I’m lucky the audience has embraced that. It feels natural and unforced.
