Kiara Advani recently opened up about the difficult early years of her acting career and the struggles she faced after her debut film Fugly failed to perform well at the box office. The actress, who is now preparing for the release of Toxic: A Fairytale for Grownups alongside Yash, spoke about her journey during an appearance on Raj Shamani’s podcast.
Talking about the lessons she learned from failures, Kiara said, “I really feel like there is something that I’ve learnt from every single experience and it has shaped me today. It’s the lows that have been my biggest teachers.”
The actress also said that many people still believe her breakthrough films M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story or Kabir Singh were her debut projects because those films became commercial successes. Speaking about this, she said, “Till date, people think that ‘MS Dhoni’ or ‘Kabir Singh’ was my first film because those were the commercial hits. ‘Fugly’ was my first film. Not many people saw it. Many people might Google it now.”
Kiara explained that after Fugly, she went through a long period without many opportunities despite receiving positive reviews for her performance. She said, “After that film, there was a big lull because the film didn’t open well. However, critically, several critics praised my performance. But nothing translated into work.”
She further added, “So, it was the same waiting game of going to auditions, some making it, some not. Lots of your choices are also limited. When you are starting off and don’t deliver commercially, the opportunities coming your way are much less. The process is longer. Till date, I feel that was the best thing that happened to me.”
The actress also shared that even after the success of M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, starring late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, her career did not immediately change. She said, “Even after ‘Dhoni,’ it was the same story. ‘Kabir Singh’ released in 2019 and then there was no looking back. Those five years had a lot of auditions, waiting, rejections and a few films that I was shooting for. I knew work would bring work, and that actually happened.”
Kiara also recalled how the film Machine became an unexpected turning point in her career despite facing criticism online. She said, “It was heavily trolled on social media. I am very grateful for that wonderful experience on set, which helped me learn a lot.”
She further revealed that her song “Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast” from Machine caught the attention of designer Manish Malhotra, who later recommended her to Karan Johar. Kiara said, “He didn’t know me at all, and he went and told Karan Johar because he thought, ‘Iss ladki mein namak hai.’ That’s when I was offered Lust Stories.”
Kiara Advani will next be seen in Toxic: A Fairytale for Grownups, directed by Geetu Mohandas. The film does not yet have an official release date.