‘Chhorii 2' Interview: Meet Child Actor Hardika Sharma

Forbes

10-04-2025

At the young age of ten, Indian child actor Hardika Sharma is set to impress horror fans with her act in the upcoming Prime Video India original film Chhorii 2. Sharma, who has been working in front of the camera for more than five years, reveals that ghosts or horror films and stories do not scare her. In an exclusive interview, the young actor talks about her experience of working on horror, and how she manages her studies with acting; and her love for science. Written and directed by Vishal Furia, Chhorii 2 is set for a digital premiere on April 11.
Hardika Sharma has worked in A Thursday, Freelancer, Asur 2, Mishra CA Topper, apart from featuring in more than 80 commercial advertisements. Recently, she was seen in Prime Video's Citadel Honey Bunny as young Samantha and is now set to play a pivotal part in Chhorii 2. She also played the part of young Ananya Pandey in Call Me Bae.
A poster of Prime Video original 'Chhorii 2'.
Amazon Prime Video
Children are usually scared of ghosts. How does a child actor agree to be a part of a horror movie and essay an important part in it? Asked about the time she took on Chhorii 2, Sharma says, 'Yeah, it's a horror film. I was so excited. I am not scared of anything - ghosts or whatever you name. I was really excited when I got the offer. I remember when I was maybe two- or three-year-old, I used to watch many horror films. I have watched The Nun and The Conjuring. I was not scared of it at all. I was like 'Yeah! I want to do horror films. I want to meet the ghost'. I was so excited.' She adds that horror is not the only genre she watches, and reveals she loves cartoons such as Peppa Pig and animated children's films."
Sharma recalls that Chhorii 2 star Nushrratt Bharrucha would always stay with her on the sets. Bharrucha featured in Chhorii and will also be seen in Chhorii 2. She adds that the sets were quite dark, and had many caves. Bharuccha would take care of her to ensure she didn't fall in the dark spaces. 'She used to take care of me a lot because the set was so dark. There were caves. She would always ensure so I do not fall down or something. She is very sweet and kind.'
She also recalls how kind Yami Gautam was when Sharma worked with her on A Thursday. 'Yami Gautam was with me in A Thursday. She is very, very kind to children as well as everybody else on the set. She is also very cheerful. I remember, the break time on sets of the film, we used to do this special handshake. We would play rock-paper-scissors and had a lot of fun.'
Sharma tells us that the writer of Chhorii 2 used to tell her stories with moral lessons during breaks on the sets. 'I remember, the writer used to tell me stories during the breaks on Chhorii 2 sets. I used to wait for him and his new stories. He would then ask me questions and I would answer them. So, I have to remember all the stories. They are mostly moral stories. Some of those were very new for me. It used to be fun listening to those stories.'
Sharma says that wants to be as hardworking and kind as Samantha is. She played young Samantha in Citadel Honey Bunny and they are also working together on Rakt Bramhand.
'I did not get to spend much time with Samantha during the shoot of Citadel Honey Bunny. During Rakt Bramhand also, we shot separately, but we met while working on that one."
The young actor loves how Samantha is a cheerful presence on sets and focuses sharply focus on her work. Sharma wants to be as focused and hard-working when she grows up. "Samantha is always very cheerful on the set. What I learnt from her is that she always focuses on her work. She concentrates on the character during the briefing and puts herself in that character. She is always very focused. I appreciate her work. She is very hardworking.'
She adds that she'd love to act like the brilliant women actors she has worked with. 'I want to be like them. I want to act like them. I learn from them now. I want to be good at this. I want to be hardworking. I want to be kind to everybody. I will always show respect to everyone,' the ten-year-old child actor says.
Hardika's mother Yashoda Dutta Sharma screens the offers that are made to the child actor. The mom scans whether or not Sharma fits the look and age of the film and its reach, but the actor also gets to decide on whether she wants to play the part. 'Most of the time, my mom finalizes. There was this one time when I got an offer to play a young boy when I was six. I did not want to play a boy's role, so, we didn't go ahead with that one. My mom discusses with me whether or not I wish to do it.'
Sharma adds that she once played the mythical character of Radha though her mom was not too enthusiastic about the project. 'I really wanted to become Radha. She is beautiful and I love the flower jewelry they use for her character.'
Sharma was just a four year-old girl when she began working and found all the help she needed in her mother. The actor acknowledges her mom's efforts in ensuring that the kid's studies and acting aspirations are balanced well. 'I idolize my mom. She is very hardworking. She helps me with everything - she accompanies me to the shoots, is very helpful during the auditions as well."
"She also explains the expressions and stuff to me. She also helps me with my schoolwork and studies. I can't be without her. I am everything because of her. I have been working since 2018 - I was almost four at the time I began - so it has been more than six years.' Sharma adds that her mom also helps her understand characters and stories she works on.
Chhorii 2 interview: How Hardika Sharma balances school and films
Hardika Sharma agrees that it is slightly tough to manage studies with her work. She credits her school, teachers, friends and her mother for the fact that she manages to balance her work and studies. 'I manage it because I have such nice friends. When I am shooting, my friends keep a track of school work which I get to complete during my breaks.'
Chhorii 2 interview: Who is Hardika Sharma in personal Life
Sharma reveals that science is her favorite subject and she loves to do experiments. 'My mom gets me these experimental kits. I love to make volcanoes with those. Whenever I get free time, I just play with the experiments. Growing up, I want to be an actor, but if not an actor, I want to be a scientist. I love to learn everything about science. I'm very good at it too. I always get full marks in the exams.' Sharma is also learning the Indian classical dance Bharatnatyam.
She says that she loves reading books in her free time and goes to the school library whenever she gets the time. 'I love mythological books. I've finished almost every mythological book in my school library. My teacher asked me to read fairy tales but I don't like them. I want to read only mythology. I'm currently reading The Daughter from a Wishing Tree by Sudha Murthy. I love her books. They are very nice and motivational.'
Asked about her favorite fictional characters, Sharma names the characters of Krishna and Draupadi from the Hindu mythological epic Mahabharata. 'Krishna and then Draupadi. Draupadi is a very strong woman. She always fights and is very brave. I want to be like her. I want to be brave. She gives me the motivation to be brave.'
(The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.)