Unfair to expect every film of mine to make Rs100 crore: Shraddha Kapoor

Actress Shraddha Kapoor is “excited and nervous” about the release of her next film, Stree, also starring Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi. Apart from it being a one of a kind horror-comedy, the film also comes on the back of a string of box office failures for the actress.

Her last few films, Rock On 2 (2016), Half Girlfriend (2017), Ok Jaanu (2017) and Haseena Parkar (2017) haven’t managed to make a mark. Kapoor graciously accepts that she has had a lean patch for the last couple of years, but feels it is a little unfair to expect every film of hers to be a Rs100 crore grosser. Also, she has been away from the big screen for a year.

“Haseena [Haseena Parkar] didn’t work at all. People just didn’t go to see it. Half Girlfriend recovered its money and did pretty well, but obviously it was not Aashiqui 2 or Ek Villain or ABCD 2, if we compare it to the films I did earlier,” says Kapoor.

“So what happened is after Ashiqui 2, the expectations became so high, and after that ABCD2 touched Rs100 crore, Ek Villain touched Rs100 crore. So people are now comparing everything I do to that. That was a little unfair also. I was like ‘is it my fault that right in the beginning my films made so much money?’ Now, people are comparing every film to that. I was like ‘yaar yeh kya ho gaya’ [What is this?]. Half Girlfriend was successful, but because it didn’t touch Rs100 crore people felt that in comparison that film is not successful. Ok Jaanu also got a lot of love even if the box office success was not there. So don’t compare it to Rs100 crore films... see it for what it is,” adds Kapoor.

But did the failure of Haseena Parkar hurt Kapoor more than the rest as it had her playing the title role and she received criticism for her portrayal?

"There was a mix [of reactions]. Some people were like she has tried something different. Some people were like why did she even try to do something different. I felt like I tried my best and worked hard. The rest wasn’t in my hands. I try not to get too excited with the success or with the failure because that is going to happen; there are always ups and downs. But you work so much on a film, and one day over the weekend people say yes or no [to the film]. That you feel a little bit; like why do you decide on something so instantly?" says Kapoor. 

But the actress says that she respects the audience's verdict. After all, same audience also gave her a string of hits. "Definitely, the power is in the audience’s hand. I try my best not to be too attached to success or failure. I really want to put my head down and work really hard. I am trying to work hard. And I hope that I can entertain people," she says. 

So the upcoming film Stree in a sense is a very important film for Kapoor as she hopes to claw her way back in with some good content. Directed by first-timer Amar Kaushik, the film is about a female ghost haunting the men in a small town. And all clues point to Kapoor's character being that spirit. 

“Its been a year since I had a film release. Nervousness and excitement both are there. I have given my best, and now its up to the audience,” says Kapoor. “The content of the film is the most important. Its called Stree, which I may or may not be. But definitely, there is a responsibility. You have to take responsibility and risk, no?" she adds.

Kapoor has had a great experience working on Stree and hopes that translates on screen. “It was so nice to me to be a part of such a light film because I had done quite a few intense films before be it like Half Girlfriend and Haseena Parkar. So I was happy to be in a nice light environment. My character needed a lot of mystery around her because when you see the trailer there is a doubt whether she is the 'Stree' or not, whether she is a ghost or not. I am so happy I got the opportunity to play this part, that offered it to me.”

Success or failure Kapoor, who comes from a film family, feels it is her own, and feels her parents are to thank for that.

"I want to thank my parents that they never called anyone and said that meet my daughter or cast her or anything of that sort. I am very happy that they didn’t do this. It is because of that I worked harder. So I could make my own mistakes and you are respnsible for your own decisions. They are very proud so it makes me feel very good."

Post Stree, Kapoor has two other promising films, director Shree Narayan Singh's Batti Gul Meter Chalu this year and the Saina Nehwal biopic next year.