Anushka Arora, who started her career as a radio jockey at the age of 21, is an Indo-British achiever in India and abroad. It would be safe to call her an all-rounder as she has donned many hats — as an actress, radio jockey, video jockey, anchor and journalist — over the years.

The celebrity anchor has interviewed the biggest superstars like the Bachchans, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, and many others.

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Anushka made her Bollywood debut with Shah Rukh Khan in Fan in 2016 and later made an appearance in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in the same year.

In conversation with Thestatesman.com, Anushka Arora talked about her journey in the entertainment industry, her debut film and the ongoing MeToo movement.

What inspired you to become a radio presenter?

I graduated from Journalism Honours, wherein community radio was one of the subjects I had taken. I gained interest in speaking on mike while I did hospital radio for enhancing my experience. The love for the radio has stayed, ever since.

You have interviewed a lot of celebrities in your career. Which is that one interaction you’ll always cherish?

Ranveer Singh, hands down! He’s so genuine and friendly! One of the few celebrities to make a person their own and then talk work, if at all.

Winning the Best Radio Presenter of the Year award at Asian Media Awards is a great achievement. Can you share your experience?

I am uber excited that industry has marked my talent and nominated for such a prestigious award, I will continue to work and make India proud overseas with such accomplishments and it makes me supremely joyous of how appreciative people have become of different career options!

The AMAs take place at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate and are supported by the world’s foremost media organizations. The event attracts some of the leading industry professionals in the country where they announce the short-listed candidates for the Asian Media Awards. The judging panel includes representatives from some of the world’s most respected media and news organizations which aims to pick out the trailblazing journalists, publications, radio shows and TV channels across the United Kingdom. All entries will be judged on their quality and creativity and most of all in helping to bring constant quality.

Tell us about your journey from radio to Bollywood.

Acting was always a part of childhood for me. I was (and still am) a huge Bollywood fanatic. The two breaks I received were purely coincidental and a matter of fate.  Law of Attraction if I may say!

How did you bag the role in Fan?

Who is not movies? (Laughs) Indian genetics has a movie-cell embedded, I guess! My parents always made sure that my sister and I were connected to our roots no matter where we stayed,  geographically. We went for Hindi language classes post-school, we often came home to Delhi, met everyone and fluently had control over Hindi and Punjabi. English, thankfully, was given and excelled in languages.

Hence, Bollywood became love. And one fine day when I was getting back from work,  a role in FAN (2016) was asked out. I did it purely for experience and for the love of camera but little did I know the dialogue would be a prominent one, unlike offered to many others.

And that’s how the journey in movies started.

Any plans to work in films in future?

Yes, I am open to working on camera in India or aboard depending on the availability of dates.

Your views on the ongoing MeToo movement.

I stand with every woman who has been misused. It’s disgusting that men have used their power and status to lure women into what they want. I am very thankful to Tanushree Dutta as she has given the courage and platform to many women who have spoken up! It’s great to see that such quick and drastic actions have been taken too in some organizations.