I was shortlisted for Slumdog Millionaire: Nushrat 

Nushrat Bharucha of Pyaar Ka Punchnama fame has often been seen playing the "nagging girlfriend" on the big screen. Asked why she is not experimenting enough to grow as an actor, Nushrat says, "I think my image is stuck in other people's perception. I was one of the shortlisted girls for the female lead of the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire along with Freida Pinto. But I was not finalised because of my looks." 

Director Danny Boyle's team sat her down and explained "that I do not look like a girl coming from a slum area. I was told that I am a good actor and everything is perfect except the fact that my look doesn't fit the character. Maybe that is true, but we are living at a time where a lot of advanced make-up techniques are available," she says, adding, "How come people are convinced to see Shraddha Kapoor as both the rich Riya Somani and Haseena Parkar, sister of an underworld don? Because she is a star, who has achieved mass popularity, and directors are ready to experiment with her. I haven't achieved that stardom."

Still, she has managed to deliver commercially successful films like Love Sex Aur Dhokha, Pyaar Ka Punchnama and Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2. Her latest release Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety is also getting a good response from the audience. What's stopping her from getting mass appreciation? "I think people love to watch me onscreen, not my acting talent. With Pyaar Ka Punchnama, I did not own the film. Among the six actors in the film, Kartik (Aaryan) was the most noticed actor and he stood out. I was not bad in the film. People noticed me as well, but I was not defining the brand of the film. So, at red carpets and award ceremonies, people said, 'She is the Panchnama girl', without even knowing my name properly."