Disha Patani Reflects on a Decade in Bollywood: I don’t want to be defined by one role or one image

Disha Patani recently clocked a glorious decade in Hindi cinema, and as she steps into her next one, she intends to explore more challenging characters, genres and wishes to avoid being defined by one image. The actress says that the biggest change has been within herself.

“When I did M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, everything was new to me. I was learning how a set works, how to face the camera, how to understand a character and how to take direction,” she recalls. Calling herself “very instinctive: during the time, Disha shares that she now has a more better understanding of her work and is more comfortable with trusting herself.

Delving deep into that thought, Disha continues, “I never want to reach a point where I feel like I know everything or that I can do something without putting in the work.” For Patani, what’s been exciting is the uncertainty that comes with every fresh character. “I think the bigger fear would be losing that curiosity.” This innate curiosity is what’s pushing Patani to newer spaces.

Patani wants to step into the shoes of roles and characters with great contradictions where the “physicality or the glamour isn’t the focus and the character itself carries the film”. What’s on her wish list is psychological dramas, character-driven thrillers and action projects with riveting characters.

Now that she steps into her second decade, she intends to take more risks and work with different filmmakers across languages and genres. “I don’t want to be defined by one particular kind of role or image,” she says.

And while she basks in the success of her latest releases, Welcome To The Jungle and Awarapan 2, she gears up to make a much-anticipated Hollywood debut with an upcoming supernatural action-thriller, The Portal of Force.