Anushka Sen on landing a Korean film at 21: I manifested my way into it | Exclusive

Indian actor Anushka Sen, who has been a part of several shows, including the recently released Dil Dosti Dilemma, is now shooting for her first Korean film. Titled Asia, Sen bagged the project during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, it was also the time when Sen had just got hooked to K-dramas and she firmly believed it's the power of manifestation that worked for her.

THE POWER OF MANIFESTATION

"I was watching K-dramas and immediately fell in love with them. I really think anybody who watches K-dramas would agree that once you start, there's no going back," she said while speaking to WION and added, "I'm a big manifestor, I believe in manifestations. I was so absorbed into the whole K-drama world and the Korean wave that I manifested my way into it."

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The movie's team got in touch with Sen over emails. "They said they've been following my work for two years and thought I would be fit for the character they're looking for. There were several Zoom calls." But what was different about the video calls was that the team was trying to get to know the actor. "Usually when you are auditioning for a part, you have a script, and you record that as a self-test, and you send it out. And then you get called for the auditions. But here, it was very different. It was more about them getting to know me. They were getting to know who Anushka is, and what is something that I would really like to do, what I've done, not done."

Detailing the process, Sen said there were several meetings about her character and the script. While it was a long process due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were also some other factors that were weighing in, including the language barrier. Since the director doesn't speak English, and Sen is also not fluent in Korean, a translator would always be at work.

"Now I understand Korean a lot, even without subtitles, because I've watched so many K-dramas and been to South Korea multiple times," she said, adding that she will soon have a tutor as well. Sen also explained that the language barrier doesn't deter her, but only made the process more beautiful. "I feel when the intention or passion is pure then there is no problem. The director and I speak so much with our body language and now I actually understand what he's trying to tell me, and he gets so surprised, He's like, 'Oh, my God! You've started to understand Korean now'."

RELATIONSHIP WITH K-DRAMAS, K-POP MUSIC AND KOREAN SKINCARE

However, this isn't Sen's first association with South Korea. In 2023, the actor was appointedHonorary Ambassador of Korean Tourism. "These are some opportunities that make me feel really responsible, that I have to do even better than I am doing. It makes me feel motivated and inspired, and I am so grateful for all these opportunities that I have gotten to represent my own country. There's no bigger and better feeling than that," she shared.

Sen also shared that while she loves BTS and Blackpink, New Jeans is a band she has started listening to recently. "It's amazing, but Blackpink is forever going to be my favourite. Whenever I'm in Korea, and I go for like a K-beauty thing or a makeover done, they always take references from Jenny because they're like, 'Oh, you have a very similar face structure.' And I really get so happy and excited."

While the actor found a passion for K-dramas during the pandemic, the 'Jhansi Ki Rani' actor is also obsessed with the whole culture, and can't stop pointing out the similarities it shares with Indian culture. "I love our Indian cinema and our Indian classic music. We have so much culture in what we make, and it's the same in South Korea. They are so culture-oriented that they try to get that into it, including morals and family values," she said, adding that she could spend an entire day talking about Korean skincare

WHAT STARTING YOUNG IN SHOWBIZ IS ALL ABOUT

As someone who started her journey in showbiz at a young age, Sen has seen her share of challenges, the most important of them being striking a balance between studies and work. "I would go to school from 9 to 1, and then I would travel to set. I would go to set and then shoot from 2 to 2 in the night, and then go back to school. And that's how my routine was," she recalled. The actor, who graduated last year with a degree in filmmaking, is now pursuing an MA in Psychology.

Another side of starting young is witnessing a bias where people tend to age-shame one for their achievements. For Sen, this has often resulted in the form of comments on her massive social media following. "Most of the people know my journey because I've been in and around the industry for years and I have been active on social media for about 6-7 years now. But those who don't know, they're like, 'Oh, you're 21, and you have this car, a house in a high-rise building and how is that happening? How do you have so many followers?' And it really doesn't bother me, because I know I have achieved it, and I know how much hard work goes into every single project that I've done. It's not just me, but also my team and family who have worked hard. Someone might not know my journey right now, but one day they will, and they will feel bad for judging me by my age." The actor is of the view that while there will always be people who try to make you feel confused, one should focus on the people who motivate, support and guide them.

A SOCIAL MEDIA FAMILY OF 39.3 MILLION USERS ON INSTAGRAM

Sen, who has primarily worked in television shows including Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev', Internet Wala Loveand Apna Time Bhi Aayegaalso talked about her transition from a child actor to a full-fledged artist. "14 years have been just wonderful. I have learned so much, met some incredible people. I've worked with beautiful people, and all the characters I've portrayed have taught me so much and made me confident every step. Every time I wake up, I think I'm dreaming and then I open my phone and see the comments and the love. It's just surreal."

What is also surreal is that the Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 11contestant has amassed a following of over 39 million users on Instagram. Opening up about her social media family, Sen said she is extremely grateful for it, and believes that it's the best way to connect to her fans. "They want a little bit of your time. They just want to know you a little more as a human being and I'm glad that through social media, I can do that," she said, adding that the love she receives on social media also works as a shield against the trolling.

IS THERE A BIAS AGAINST TELEVISION ACTORS?

Asked if she has witnessed any bias against television actors in the Hindi film industry, Sen opined that actors are actors and cited examples of the many prominent celebrities that have made a mark. "If there's somebody who is thinking that they're from TV and they don't know how to act, I mean... Don't take my example, take Vikrant Massey for that matter, he comes from TV. Shah Rukh Khan, the biggest global superstar is from TV. It doesn't affect me at all, because I feel the final call is of the audience. If the audience loves you, then no matter what anybody's thinking, no matter where you come from, it really doesn't matter. The audience don't see where you're coming from, what family you are coming from, it really doesn't matter. And now there are so many actresses, take Pratibha Ranta's example, I saw her in 'Laapataa Ladies' recently. What a phenomenal actor and she is also from TV. Several OTT platforms are also giving so many opportunities to expand. Talking about other industries, in Hollywood, TV actors are given the most prestige. They get Emmys because of their performances, Zendaya is a TV actor. So, I really hope if there's somebody who has this misunderstanding that TV actors don't know how to perform, they really need to get better and need to understand that people are people. Actors are just actors..."