Ayesha Kapur was barely 10 when she won viewers and critics over with her powerful performance as the young Michelle in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black. Since then, she has appeared in only one film. The actor is now making a comeback to the big screen after 17 years with Om Ka Hari, a new family drama. In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Ayesha talks about breaking the image of Michelle, doing diverse work, and how she has changed over the years.
Ayesha Kapur on returning to Bollywood
Om Ka Hari is Ayesha’s third film, and the first since the 2009 release, Sikandar. In the interim, she appeared in the Tamil web series Sweet Kaaram Coffee. Talking about returning to the screen, she says, “It’s great to be acting again. I love acting and the whole process of developing the character, working with the team, and being on set. Acting was my first love, and will always be my first love. I just hope I get more chances to keep working, keep acting, and exploring.”
Black was her big break. It earned a Filmfare Award at the age of 11. Four years later, she starred alongside Parzan Dastur in Sikandar. That followed a long hiatus. “Yes, it’s been a long break,” the actor admits. But Ayesha says that the break gave her something positive, a chance to start fresh. “The break definitely allows people to see me as an adult in a film, separately from that girl from Black. Of course, people still remember that for some reason. It’s still in people’s hearts,” she adds.
‘Very different from anything I have done’
It also helps that her character in Om Ka Hari is very different from the roles she has done so far. “Here, I can showcase myself as an Indian girl from a small town and a middle-class family. It is very different from anything I have done before. I am excited to show a different side of me,” says the actor.
Ayesha admits that the chatter about her right after Black, with many people trying to tell her many things, affected her decision-making. “I have experienced people wanting to launch me. I also struggled with the concept. I was very young and didn’t really know what that meant, and listening to people around me and the chatter affected my decision-making at the time. Now, I no longer let that affect me. I choose projects that I enjoy doing with people that I enjoy working with. That’s just more my vibe,” she says.
Om Ka Hari, directed by Harish Vyas, also stars Anshuman Jha, Raghubir Yadav, and Soni Razdan. The film is currently running in theatres.