Amyra Dastur: Now, the whole appeal is to be a pan-India star

After making a mark in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films, actor Amyra Dastur is ready to set her foot in the Punjabi film industry with her next project. And this, she confesses, is another step towards her goal of becoming a pan-India star.

“I want to be a pan-India star. We have had this whole regional thing going on for so long now, but now, especially in the industry, people are open to doing so many different types of films,” Dastur tells us, adding, “Look at the success of RRR or Baahubali, it shows that it doesn’t depend on the region or what the language of a film ism if it is a good film, everyone will watch it”.

She continues, “The whole appeal is to be a pan-India star now, and that’s exactly what I want to be”.

Here, the 29-year-old notes that blurring of boundaries is also helping actors expand their base. She says, “It is opening up a lot of things for us. There is a lot of work. For example, people are open to working with somebody outside of the region, like me who doesn’t speak Punjabi and I am doing a Punjabi film”.

“And vice versa in the South as well. That creates more jobs. At the end of the day, people want to grow, and want to do well,” says the actor, who has featured in projects such as Kung Fu Yoga, Kaalakaandi, Manasuku Nachindi and Rajma Chawal.

In fact, according to Dastur, the exchange of talent is also helping change the portrayal, and washing away the stereotypes.

“The kind of stories that we are doing now are also breaking stereotypes, and come with a message that we shouldn’t stereotype people from certain cultures. Like Vijay Deverakonda is set to enter the Hindi film industry. It is a big step for the industry because we are becoming more accepting of different people from different places,” she says.

When it comes to her Punjabi project, she remains tight-lipped about any other information, and just reveals that it is a “coming of age story”.

“I love to do something which is about people of my age, and show the problems youth face today. I’m having a blast shooting the project. I learnt my lines very quickly, with people exclaiming, ‘Ohh, are you a Punjabi’. I am enjoying this experience. It is like a different kind of Bollywood for me,” she says while wrapping up.