She comes from a family of judges and was studying to be an IT engineer. Living in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, Aarushi Sharma couldn’t be anymore removed from Bollywood. But, like she says, “destiny had other plans” for her. After a brief role in Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha, the 25-year-old made a proper debut in the director’s latest film Love Aaj Kal, opposite Kartik Aryan. t2 met Aarushi in Imtiaz’s office in suburban Mumbai. Over cups of Darjeeling tea, she talked about her journey to the arc lights.

You played Princess Samyukta in Chali Kahaani in Tamasha. How did that happen?

My university in Shimla had arranged a talk by Imtiaz Ali because he was going to shoot the film in our college. During the talk, he announced that his assistants will be auditioning students for a few scenes. On a lark, I went to audition with my friends. Imtiaz Sir’s assistant Rocket told me to imagine I’m a princess and pointed to a bunch of people saying they’re my suitors. He told me to be elegant and just walk with a smile. As soon as I finished, Rocket told me to run with him and I was very confused. We ran from one end of my college to the other where Imtiaz Sir was. He was leaving... Rocket made him step out of his car and watch my audition on his phone. Next thing I knew, Sir was asking me if I’d do a small role. It was very surreal. I didn’t even know I would be working with Ranbir Kapoor! They came back after a month and that’s when we shot.

You had never acted before this. How did you prepare in the month you had and how much did life change?

(Smiles) Guys, including my seniors, were coming up to me and asking me out to coffee. So that happened. Of course, I was nervous because I had no idea what happens during a shoot. I kept thinking that I’d get shouted at and thrown out in the very beginning. I started Googling how to act and took it very seriously... I really wanted to nail it.

What was the shoot finally like?

I thought the scene would be exactly what I had done in the audition but two days before the shoot, they told me that Ranbir Kapoor will be in the scene with me. I just lost it after that and it hit me even harder that I don’t know how to act. All the research I had done was useless. Frankly, I thought they were kidding! (Laughs) The shoot lasted for three-four days. I was very stressed. I kept thinking that Imtiaz Sir might shout at me. But once he explained what I had to do, I realised that I was very comfortable following his directions. It was very effortless. That day, I truly felt like I belonged on a film set.

What were your impressions of Ranbir?

He was very calm. He was in this gold outfit and wearing a belt that was very sharp. Whenever he’d pick me up and put me down, he’d ask me if I was okay. He didn’t have to do it, why would he care? I think he’s a thorough gentleman. He’s very calm and I think he just wants the process to keep getting better. He’s also very helpful and charming.

After Tamasha, you knew that you wanted to do this but you finished your education first, right?

Yes. I had also started working and on the side, I started auditioning but I couldn’t crack anything. Not even an ad. I started to think maybe this wasn’t for me and that I can’t keep trying forever. Also, I never had the courage to leave engineering and come to Bombay, which a lot of people do and hats off to them. A part of me had thought getting that part in Tamasha was a fluke. And flukes don’t happen often. So, I stopped auditioning by 2018 and continued working in Gurugram. Before that, I was also in Chennai for a few months with an IT firm.

Aarushi Sharma as Leena in Love Aaj Kal, now playing in cinemas (Picture sourced by The Telegraph)

How did Love Aaj Kal come your way?

Last February, Mukesh Chhabra (casting director) called me and though I told him that I had stopped auditioning, he insisted. I spoke with my mom and she said I should give it a shot, but that let this be the last one. She had seen how disheartened I would get after every audition. While I was waiting there, I saw a curly-haired man walk in and that’s when I realised that this was his (Imtiaz’s) film.

A few days later, I got a call that I had got the part. I was shocked more than being happy. When I wanted it, it didn’t happen and when I had moved on, that’s when it did. It took me some time to recalibrate myself that this was happening. I called Sir and told him exactly what I was feeling and that my mind couldn’t process it. How could I work? They were going to start shooting in less than a month and how would I perform? He told me not to worry about the process and that would happen on its own. He told me to just focus on the part I had to do and to trust him when he said I was the right choice.

The next day, he came to Delhi and gave me a brief narration about what my part was going to be and what the film was about. He believed in me and that’s when I began believing I could do it. After five-six days, I came here and that’s when I suddenly felt this was really happening. We did a reading, finished that, went back to Delhi, moved out of my PG and left my job... I told them I had family problems (laughs).

Unlike Tamasha, in Love Aaj Kal you have a proper role with dialogues. And you barely had any time to prepare. How did the shoot go?

The initial days were tough. Before I got on set, I had memorised every single dialogue. You could ask me anything at any time but I thought that delivering them with emotion would be tough. My first scene was in Connaught Place in Delhi and I didn’t even realise when we finished shooting the scene. Sir okayed the first shot and took one for safety. That was how easy it was and I just couldn’t believe it. It was incredible. I kept thinking I was doing a pathetic job and that they’d already given up on me.

It wasn’t this easy all through, though. I worked really hard to understand my character and her background. Every day, I’d write notes about who I think this girl from Udaipur is like. I’d call my friends and ask them what they did when they had their first break-up or what was it like having their first relationship. I would also make videos of myself doing a scene. Though I didn’t do this for very long. I realised soon that it’s not good to over-prepare.

What does your family think of your new career?

They’ve been so supportive. I don’t think you should expect that from your parents, to support you no matter what. I get really emotional talking about them because it is a rollercoaster ride, this profession. Even now, I don’t know what’s going to happen one month down the line. They’ve told me no matter what, they’re going to stay with me, and to tell them if anything is ever troubling me. They’re happy and very proud of me, they’ve been getting a lot of calls from people. As kids, we want that one moment when our parents are proud of us. It’s a milestone and I’m glad I could do this.