Sharvari and the art of joy

Shoots can get tedious. Boring even. But, what happens when you have a subject so full of energy and enthusiasm that everyone on set is shaken out of their over-caffeinated drudgery? Well, the hours go by in a flash (pun intended), fashion feels like an endless pursuit of fun, and poses come as easy as bad news on a good day of doomscrolling. Sharvari will vouch for it. She was there, and she made it happen.

Much like the great mononyms of our times (Beyoncé, Banksy...Bollywood?) Sharvari—who rarely uses her second name, Wagh—would like to manifest super stardom. “2026 is a busy year—and, it’s a place I have dreamt of being in. So, there are no complaints there,” says the 28-year-old, when we catch up over a video call a few days after the shoot. Busy may be an understatement—her upcoming projects hit the screens just a month apart. First, it is Main Wapas Aaunga scheduled for June 12. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, it also stars Diljit Dosanjh and Vedang Raina, with the trailer offering a glimpse of a period, cross-timeline love story. With a score by AR Rahman, it adds to the filmmaker-oriented narrative of work that underlines her upcoming projects. Among these, Alpha is arguably the most anticipated, with a female-first positioning in a genre where they are rarely put at the centre—action. She stars alongside Alia Bhatt, adding to the popular YRF (Yash Raj Films) Spy Universe, which has featured films such as War 2 (2025), Tiger 3 (2023), and Pathaan (2023). Known for being at the forefront of family-oriented films (with love and drama at their core) Sharvari also stars in filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya’s next, Yeh Prem Mol Liya, opposite Ayushmann Khurrana, a project that may also witness a 2026 release.

Well, as they say (and if they don’t, they should): If you have to make it in Bollywood, a good old romance and heartbreak needs to be on your résumé. And, Sharvari has always had the desire for it. “Growing up, going to the movies was an entire event. I remember my mom, dad, and older sister Kasturi had reserved our weekends to watch films in the cinema hall. It didn’t matter what genre it was, as long as it was entertaining,” she says, adding that she was fascinated by the power of a good story that could transport the audience to an alternate universe. “And that’s a feeling that never left me.”

STAR TREATMENT
Being in the movies these days comes with its share of attention. And not the kind that will chase you at airports, hunt for bytes on the red carpet, or trail you at press events and special screenings. It is the kind that will dissect your every move—wait for you to make a spelling mistake on Instagram, not have the ‘correct’ opinion on a trending topic, or wear a brand that said the wrong thing on the wrong platform a decade back. Being a celebrity is as exhausting as it can be rewarding. And what happens when unlike many of Bollywood’s rising stars, you weren’t born to star parents? Do you owe it to your fans to lay it all out and invite them to a life hitherto unknown? “I understand that being in movies naturally inspires curiosity about your personal life. My fans are incredibly dear to me—they are like my extended family—but, I don’t believe in sharing everything just because there is public pressure to do so,” she says. And, while the limelight does what it has to do, Sharvari is happy to find joy in “her people”. Like her school friends, who are still her 4am ride-or-die mates: “I am very lucky that I grew up in Mumbai, and even after a long day of work, I can go back home, text one of my school groups and be like: ‘Do y’all want to meet?’ And we inevitably end up going on a long drive. My friends are CAs, school teachers...from all walks of life. In those moments, you forget about your work. Everybody does.”

ROOTS AND SHOOTS
In 2021, Sharvari made her debut in Bunty Aur Babli 2, which was her breakthrough in Bollywood and even earned her a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. However, it failed to make an impact at the box office. It was with horror-comedy Munjya (2024) that she made a mark with her performance—the same year, she
was also a part of the Most Popular Indian Stars of 2024 list by the digital entertainment database platform IMDb, and received its STARmeter Award for Breakout Star. In 2026, her focus shifts to diversity. “Challenging myself with different kinds of roles is something I am super excited to do as an actor, including engaging with varied genres and working with filmmakers who have different ways of writing and directing. For a young actor like me to learn on film sets of stalwarts like Imtiaz Ali, Sooraj Barjatya, and Ali Abbas Zafar (with whom she is working on an untitled film alongside Ahaan Panday) is super rewarding. “2026 is the year of growth,” she says, adding: “My journey into the limelight was definitely not immediate—I spent 10 years auditioning and facing rejections before my first break came along. While I had a home in Mumbai and my support system, too, my struggles were my own. And, I say that without taking away from anyone else’s journey. Something that my parents have always taught me is to be fearless about my dreams, and I continue to follow that path.”

While on screen she will traverse timelines, costumes, love (and lovers), in real life, she is happy to engage with the ever-raging Cosmo debate with this writer. At 28, she has just about landed in the Gen Z zone, with millennials right beside her. So, where does Sharvari belong? “Why choose one? I am walking the bridge between both generations. And there are pros and learnings at every end. I carry millennial grit and resilience, but I also love the fearlessness, authenticity, and the idea of the true self that Gen Z brings in,” she says. On Instagram, where the public and the personal converge, we see a glimpse of her community and the cross-generational realness of it all. Think a curated menu for her 28th birthday celebrations, complete with a Chetukwadi Black Forest Pancake—inspired by the supernatural forest in Munjya—coupled with an ALPHA Pizza, and for dessert, a serving of Bunty, Babli aur Tuti Fruity Bun. To quote my colleagues: Cute! 

For the year ahead, Sharvari hopes for more of this rooted reality, one embraced in familial warmth and cinematic heft. As she puts it, simply before we say Zoom-out: “I am manifesting lots of films, work, travel, shared experiences. And most importantly, lots of love from the audience.”

Editor and interview: Snigdha Ahuja (@snigdha.ahuja)

Photographer: Taras Taraporvala (@taras84)

Stylists: Chandini Whabi (@chandiniw) and Elsie Chetry (@elsiechetry)

Cover Design: Mandeep Singh Khokhar (@mandy_khokhar19)

Makeup Artist: Riviera Lynn (@rivieralynn)

Hair Artist: Mike Desir (@mikedesir)

Editorial Coordinator: Shalini Kanojia (@shalinikanojia)

Set Design: Janhavi Patwardhan (@artnut_j) 

On Sharvari: Outfit, Rowen Rose (@rowenroseofficial)