Bollywood star Anushka Sharma, currently being showered with praised for producing the hit series 'Paatal Lok', says she turned producer with the aim of creating great roles for female actors.
Sharma, whose string of box-office hits include 'PK?, Sultan? and Sanju?, is basking in the success of her debut web series 'Paatal Lok' (Underworld), released recently on the over-the-top (OTT) Amazon Prime platform.
"I did not start producing films to make movies for me to star in. I just wanted to tell good stories. I would be sitting and talking to writers, discussing things with them and I would wonder why a certain type of films were not being written," said Sharma.
"I realised that it was not very common for great roles to be constantly written for women in our industry. So, I wanted to take this step and create roles for actors who would fit right for the project. The vision was always to say stories which we believed were unconventional and unique," the 32-year-old star said.
The actor, who made her acting debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan with 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' in 2008, stepped into the world of production with the new crime thriller that has been attracting rave reviews.
"My parents have seen Paatal Lok?, they have liked it and then they are very happy and proud, like how any parents would be of their children's accomplishment and appreciation they are getting for it," she said.
Sharma's next venture is Bulbbul for Netflix, described in its recent teaser as a fantastic tale about self-discovery, and justice, wrapped in lore, mystery and intrigue. Bankrolled by the actor's production house, Clean Slate Films, the forthcoming film is set for a June 24 release. The film centres around a child bride who grows up to be an enigmatic woman presiding over her household, harbouring a painful past as supernatural murders of men plague her village.