‘Overwhelmed by Priyanka’s remark’

Actor Ridhima Sud says she could not believe when her Dil Dhadakne Do co-star Priyanka Chopra complimented her for the upcoming docu-drama Kajarya.

Ridhima, who made her debut in the Zoya Akhtar-directed multi-starrer and will be seen as a journalist in Madhureeta Anand’s drama about female foeticide.

“Priyanka (Chopra) was the first one to message me after watching ‘Kajarya’. She said I had done well in the movie and she was extremely proud of me. I couldn’t believe I was getting compliments for my work from her.

“As an actor you are very hard on yourself. But I was overwhelmed when the feeling sunk in,” Ridhima said.

“Even Farhan (Akhtar) said ‘well done’. Aamir Khan called me and said ‘people are loving the film, they are loving you’. It was an amazing feeling for me because these people are not only stars, not only talented but amazing human beings,” she added.

Kajarya chronicles the story of two women from different backgrounds- one who lives in a village and has the job of killing the baby (played by Meena Hooda), while the other is an opportunistic journalist from New Delhi. For Ridhima, there were times her role took a toll on her, draining her “emotionally” and pushing her to realise things beyond the realms of acting. “It was emotionally draining... While performing a breakdown scene, I got sucked into it so badly I didn’t leave my bed for three days after the shoot. I was training with a journalist in 2013 and one day, during the Nirbhaya rape case trail, I was in a room with the three accused men.

“That experience was very moving, it pushed me to realise that it is not always about acting, it is also about being a part of something bigger... to contribute towards such issues.”