Success has helped me find my voice: Kiara Advani

Actor Kiara Advani says early rejections and recent successes -- "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2" and "Shershaah" -- have given her a sense of clarity about the kind of films she wants to be a part of.

The actor made her debut in 2014 with "Fugly" and featured in films like "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story" (2016) and Abbas-Mustan's 2017 thriller "Machine", but it was the 2018 Netflix anthology "Lust Stories" that proved to be a career turnaround for her.

"I feel grateful for the start of my journey, even though there were things that didn't work out. I am grateful for the support I got from people, who gave me those chances and believed in me," Kiara told PTI in an interview.

In the past three years, the actor has been a part of two back-to-back blockbusters -- "Kabir Singh" and "Good Newwz" and critically-acclaimed Netflix film "Guilty"-- which she said has helped her find her "voice".

"Today, I have understood more about myself, which wasn't the case earlier. I started when I was 21. I didn't know who I was, who I wanted to be, what I wanted to say... I had a dream of becoming an actor, but I didn't know what kind of stories I wanted to tell or what my voice was," Kiara, 29, said.

With success, the actor said she may have gained clarity, but playing unique characters was always on her wish list.

"I don't think success played a part in empowering me to make braver choices back then. When I chose to do 'Lust Stories' or 'Guilty', I was not at my peak. 'Lust Stories' was a choice I made because I wanted to work with Karan Johar. These films did well and pushed my career. It was all instinctive. Success makes you feel a sense of responsibility."

After last year's OTT release "Shershaah" on Prime Video, Advani returned to the big screen with the horror comedy "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2", which has emerged as one of the biggest hits of the year so far.

Her upcoming projects, Dharma Productions' "Jug Jugg Jeeyo" and "Govinda Naam Mera", are billed as big-scale entertainers. She will also be seen with "RRR" star Ram Charan in an untitled film.

The actor wants to reach out to a larger audience, she said.

"I want to do films which will warrant a community viewing experience, want to be a part of films that reach out to a larger audience. Fortunately, all my three films are made for that. I want to make films now where families can go and watch. That is really my goal," Kiara added.