Puja Talwar

She is B Town’s reigning ‘Golden Girl’. And as her name gets prefixed with adjectives such as ‘Blockbuster actor’ and ‘Hit machine’, basking in the hat trick of successes with Shershaah, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and her recent Jug Jugg Jeeyo, Kiara Advani is overwhelmed and is candid when she says, “God has been kind.”

A first time pairing for both Advani and Varun Dhawan, Jug Jugg Jeeyo is a family entertainer which highlights two generations confronting their own marital issues. “The script was powerful and it’s a film that not only entertains but also comes with a message, it has gravitas,” says Varun Dhawan

Playing Naina, a young woman who wants to part ways from husband Kuku (Varun Dhawan) Advani says she could relate to Naina, “She is like any independent girl today who is trying to strike a balance between her personal and professional life.”

Dhawan, who recently celebrated his first wedding anniversary with wife Natasha Dalal says, “Though I often joke I can handle tough situations better than my wife and mother, they are the real rock stars,” as he draws parallels between his reel character Kuku and himself.

Advani and Dhawan both admit they faced tough competition from the seniors, Neetu Kapoor and Anil Kapoor, “Karan [Johar] told us to look at our test and said ‘both of you better get in shape, just looking at Neetu Aunty and Anil Sir’s energy’. We were so complexed,” says Advani.

Dhawan, who completes 10 years in the industry since his debut in Student Of The Year in 2012, says his process is clear, “I get bored repeating the same genre so I look to headline different stories and characters, something that challenges me. So after Jug Jugg Jeeyo you will see me in Bhediya and then Bawaal, the idea is to push yourself.”

However it seems the ghost of playing Preeti, a young woman in an emotionally abusive and toxic relationship in Kabir Singh (2019), does not seem to have left her three years since the film. Receiving scathing reviews for playing a woman who endorsed abuse and misogyny on screen, the actress slammed naysayers by saying, “As an actor, it’s my job to portray all sorts of people, Kabir Singh was the love story between two dysfunctional people. I personally disagreed with many aspects but, as an actor, I need to portray realities which exist and am glad it started a conversation.”

Since Jug Jugg Jeeyo also celebrates the big fat Indian wedding, Advani laughs saying the film has prepped her for marriage in every possible way because her co-stars Neetu Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Dhawan have given her enough insights into love and relationships, “I think I am overprepared for marriage for now.”

Though rumour mills are constantly abuzz on her close relationship with Shershaah co-star Sidharth Malhotra, who she called the most ‘handsomest co-star’, 29-year-old Advani has no plans of tying the knot anytime soon, it’s all work and just some play for box office’s poster girl of cool.