Anushka Sharma grateful to Khans for widening her fanbase

New Delhi: Working with Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman is on the bucket list of many Bollywood actresses and Anushka, who has shared screen with all the three Khans, says she is grateful to them for helping her reach a wider audience.

Anushka entered the film industry in 2008 with "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" opposite Shah Rukh and in 2014 film "PK" she was paired with Aamir. She will be now seen opposite Salman in wrestler drama "Sultan".

"For me as an actor it is great to work with the Khans, who have every possible experience one can have in a film industry. They have been around for more than two decades. There is a lot one can observe and learn when you are working with them. Apart from that, I am very grateful that because of them my work is reaching to more people," Anushka told PTI.

The 28-year-old actress says even though she has worked with top actors, choosing her co-stars is never on her mind as for her the director and script are her priority.

"I have never tried to work with actors, for me the director and script is paramount. For me, it is always good script and in doing that I have been fortunate that I got to work with wonderful actors not just the Khans like Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Sushant Singh Rajput, Imran Khan and others. It has been wonderful."

In her latest film "Sultan", which has been directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Anushka will be seen playing a Haryanvi wrestler. The female casting of the film was hotly anticipated as names of many leading actresses cropped up ahead of the shoot before Anushka was finalised.

However, the actress says she was not aware of any such stories or speculations floating around the film, which is slated to released this Eid. "As a person and as an actor I try to take as little information about what is happening around me as possible. I was focused on what have to do. I don't read newspapers, I don't read anything that has come out. Only if something wrong has been written about me, my publicist sends me the article and so I can take action against them. Otherwise I don't read anything.

"So, I don't have any idea what was going on. I was only concerned with when my time started. When Adi (Aditya Chopra) called me he asked me if I wanted to do it. After hearing the script, I came on board. That is when my journey began and that is what matters to me."

Anushka described her character Afra as a rooted person, who is very mature for her age. Since Anushka joined the film late, she had just six weeks to prepare for her role.

"I was up for the challenge. I really liked my role. The only thing that I was worried was that I didn't have enough time to prepare for the role. For a film like this you would want three to four months of proper training. But I had less than six weeks to prepare."

The actress, however, is happy that her hard work is paying off as the audience has liked the rushes of her character in the trailer and songs. "It was a very packed schedule for me. I don't know how this six months have passed but all in all I am very happy that people believe I am a wrestler. So, it was all worth it."

The "NH 10" actress says with the role she is trying to break the perception that female wrestlers are always bulky. When she researched about the subject, she found out that most international female wrestlers have a lean built.

"I knew that I have a certain perception to break. I look a certain way and I have always been lean. During my research, I found that you don't have to be wide-framed. There are many who are toned. I realised that is what I have to work towards."

Her chemistry with her co-star Salman has also garnered favourable response from fans and Anushka attributes it to their starkly different personalities. "The beauty of the casting is that it is so unconventional. It added a different dimension. Our approach is very different. There is a weirdly organic energy that comes between actors who are so different form one another."