I now have confidence to push myself as an artist: Kiara post 'Lust Stories'

New Delhi: Actress Kiara Advani says that working with filmmaker Karan Johar on "Lust Stories" gave her the confidence to push herself as an actress and try challenging roles.

"I have only Karan Johar to thank for that. He put his trust and faith in me and also saw the potential in me to play the character of Megha as he directed me. As Karan Johar does not direct a lot of films, it was more than a dream come true for this opportunity to come my way. 

"His way of directing and guiding me has strengthened my foundation as an artist and actor. I now have the confidence to push myself as an artist and take up challenging roles," she told IANS when asked that how her performance in digital anthology changed her image as an actress.

"I got to play a very liberating character in 'Lust Stories'. It addresses and voices several important issues faced by women. I look forward to playing such strong female protagonists in the coming future as well," she added.

"Lust Stories", an Indian anthology film, consists of four short film segments directed by four different directors: Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Karan Johar.

The actress, who walked for designers Shyamal and Bhumika at couture fashion gala in the capital last week, made her acting debut with the 2014 release "Fugly". She later went on to star in successful films like "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story" and the Telugu political drama "Bharat Ane Nenu". 

Talking about what kind of roles she wants to do in future, the 25-year-old said: "There is a lot I want to do, many genres that I want to try and characters that I want to play. There are a lot of directors that I am hoping to work with. I have been very fortunate to be a part of 3 such directors that I absolutely admire namely, Karan Johar, Neeraj Pandey and Abbas Mastan and each of them have such different schools of filmmaking. And so, I hope to work with many more directors that are on my wishlist."

Kiara, who wants to be the part of classic romantic film in future, says that she has been lucky as each film has brought her closer to where she wants to be. 

"I've been portrayed in a very positive light as opposed to being typecast or put into a bracket which I feel is usually what happens. I have continued to get very versatile roles even after Lust Stories. I am excited and am working hard to ensure the journey is only upwards from here," said the actress who is also doing "Kalank" directed by Abhishek Varman. It also stars Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanjay Dutt in lead roles.

Talking about walking for Shyamal and Bhumika, the actress feels that their vision is very distinct and refreshing. 

"This was the first time I walked at couture week and I couldn't have thought of better designers to walk for because their clothes reflect our rich Indian heritage while in-keeping with modern times. Their clothes also have this hint of modern minimalism which makes them stand apart from the rest," she said.

So do you enjoy being in spotlight? 

"Staying true to the one trait I have of a Leo, is that I love being in the spotlight. However, the one way I keep a balance is with the support of my family and parents, they ensure I stay grounded and don't get too big for my boots and that I always remember my roots and where I started, enabling me to see things from a perspective of reality," she said.