Adah Sharma Says Authenticity Matters More Than Drama in Real-Life Inspired Films

Mumbai: Actress Adah Sharma, who is set to make her Marathi film debut with "Gajra," says stories inspired by real-life events should be handled with honesty rather than exaggerated for cinematic appeal, adding that reality is often more intense than fiction.

Speaking about the challenge of portraying real-life trauma on screen without turning it into spectacle, Adah said filmmakers and actors carry a responsibility to present such stories with sensitivity.

"When you're telling a story rooted in real experiences, there's a responsibility that comes with it. The aim isn't to shock people—it's to help them understand what the characters are going through," she said.

The actress explained that actors become temporary participants in someone else's lived experiences and strive to portray those emotions as truthfully as possible.

"As actors, we're visitors in someone else's reality, so we try to make it look as real as we can for the audience. But real life is sometimes far more dramatic than what we see in films," she said.

According to Adah, filmmakers often have to scale back certain elements of true stories instead of amplifying them.

"We don't need to exaggerate real-life stories to make them cinematic. Sometimes we actually need to tone things down or conceal certain parts so that they can be effectively portrayed on screen," she added.

Directed by Shreyas Jadhav, "Gajra" is based on true events and is scheduled for release in 2027. The film marks Adah's entry into Marathi cinema.

The actress was recently seen in "Governor: The Silent Saviour," starring National Award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee. Inspired by the events surrounding India's 1990 economic crisis, the film explores the institutional relationship between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Government of India. Produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah under the Sunshine Pictures banner, the film was released on June 12.

Adah is widely known for her performances in the "Commando" franchise alongside Vidyut Jammwal and gained nationwide recognition with the blockbuster "The Kerala Story," in which she portrayed Shalini, a former nursing student whose life takes a tragic turn after becoming entangled in terrorism.

She made her acting debut with the 2008 horror film "1920" and has since appeared in several films, including "Hasee Toh Phasee," "Heart Attack," "S/O Satyamurthy," and "Kshanam."

With inputs from IANS