Three films old in the industry, Palak Tiwari calls it her good fortune that she got to work with two of the biggest stars of Bollywood—Salman Khan in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan and Sanjay Dutt in her last release The Bhootnii. “I feel very blessed,” she says, adding, “It’s a great story to tell my grandkids if I ever have them someday, that ‘You know these super duper stars Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan, I have actually done films with them’.”
While her debut was a Salman film, it didn’t perform well at the box office, and even Palak Tiwari had quite a menial role in it. In retrospect, does she feel it was the right move to start her acting journey with that film? “That debut was exactly what I’d hoped for. In my first film, I didn’t want to be the centre of attention as I just wanted to learn. And what better way to learn with Salman sir being kind enough to bear the burden on his shoulders. We just got to be there on set as actors and understand what it’s like to truly be a professional. That’s exactly what a first film should be—an experience,” she responds.
Being a Gen-z actor, Palak has lived her life in the social media era, and being a public figure, seen the bad side of it too. While most people consider online trolling a curse, the actor has a different perspective. “The best part is that it fortifies you. It makes you okay with all the places that you lack in as it makes you open to criticism. Abhi aisa koi insan nahin hai jo mujhe aake aisa kuch bol sakta hai that can offend me. I dare you,” she quips, adding, “You can never make me cry and that goes with all actors of our generation. We aren’t affected by anything mean said to us because we have heard worse already.”
But navigating the industry as a Gen-z actor has become challenging, Palak admits. She says, “It has become challenging because our audience has evolved, and they’ve become more critical. They are now more aware of what is good cinema, and they have high expectations. It is true, the pressure is higher, but now, if you earn somebody’s reverence, you know they mean it. That’s an accolade that you want to work towards.”
But how does she deal with the uncertainty of work while ensuring to make a name for herself? “The uncertainty has always been there. Hopefully, the audience is able to separate you from just a mathematical figure. But at times, you need to do it for yourself too. You must make yourself believe that you are not a math figure, you are just a person trying to do your job. The numbers will always be there, but I can’t let them dehumanise me or my craft,” she ends.
