Why Swara Bhasker is grateful

'Gratitude for the blessings of one's life is my greatest takeaway this year.'

With the year coming to a close, it's time to look back at it, and Swara Bhaskar does just that.

She tells Subhash K Jha, "This year has made me realise what the real priorities of one's life are."

How do you look back at 2020? What is your takeaway from the year?

Gratitude.

Gratitude for the blessings of one's life is my greatest takeaway this year.

Gratitude for my family, my friends, for being well-off and privileged, for having savings enough to survive eight-nine months without earning.

Gratitude for being alive!

This year has made me realise what the real priorities of one's life are.

The OTT platform has changed the profile of the Hindi film audience. What is your take on cinema versus the digital platform?

OTT platforms have not only changed content by opening up a space for new stories, new characters and new ideas, they have also democratised content.

They've democratised creativity and by giving a platform to talented new and old actors, OTT has democratised stardom.

It is yet to be seen how the traditional box office determines the ecosystem of theatrical cinema and how it will readjust to this change.

Something fundamental is happening.

Let's see how it pans out.

In a year of bleakness and massive losses, which are the films and performances you liked the most?

This year has been heartbreaking.

With the demise of Irrfan sir and Rishi Kapoor sir, we have lost cinema legends.

In Sushant's (Singh Rajput) suicide, we have been shown a mirror to all the pain this sparkling world of glamour hides.

What did you think of the events that followed Sushant's death?

The ugly, hysterical media-generated drama that unfolded after Sushant's death has given us a glimpse of our basest selves as a society. So a lot to introspect for all of us.

There were some ugly run-ins on the social media which you handled with aplomb. What is your take on the toxicity on social media?

Social media should have been a platform that helped us connect across geographical, time and space borders.

It was and, in some ways, is a beautiful possibility.

But we have, as a society -- and I mean, across the world -- used it to sink to our lowest selves and indulge our basest instinct: anonymous bullying and harassment.

I have always believed that there is only one way to deal with bullies: call them out!

That's how I handle social media toxicity.

What are your plans for 2021?

Work, work, work.

The lockdown has made me miss my work, shooting and being on set.

I want to be relentlessly busy with work in 2021.