Dharna Durga On Self Doubt After Sharing A Film Set With Madhuri Dixit I Overthink

When Dharna Durga first heard the title Maa Behen, she was instantly intrigued. “I thought, ‘What kind of title is this?’ It instantly made me curious. But as I heard the story of the film, I realised there couldn’t have been a better title. It’s one of those titles that stays with you,” she said.

“In my videos, there aren’t many people behind the camera, but on a film set, the same scene is shot multiple times from different angles. That was the biggest difference,” she recalled. “But I never felt uncomfortable because everyone made me feel so welcome that I never once felt like I didn’t belong there.”

She credits director Suresh Triveni, writer Pooja Tolani and cinematographer Anuj Rakesh Dhawan for making her first film experience smooth. “Initially, I was nervous, but gradually everyone made me feel comfortable, and I learnt a lot through the process,” she added.

Interestingly, Dharna says her journey into content creation began almost by accident during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“My friends and I used to make random videos and challenge each other. One of my friends told me, ‘You should actually post these.’ Honestly, I wasn’t even active on social media. I would deactivate my account and then activate it again. I posted one video, liked how it turned out, and slowly kept creating more. I never planned on becoming a content creator. It all happened very randomly,” she said.

When asked about the surreal experience of working alongside some of Hindi cinema’s biggest names, she said, “There are certain dreams you hesitate to even put on your wish list because they seem impossible. And then they actually happen. That’s exactly what this feels like.”

For Dharna, it is the kind of dream that once felt too impossible even to imagine.

While audiences associate Dharna with her now-iconic middle-class characters, she says the choice was never intentional.

Among all the characters she has created over the years, one remains closest to her heart.

“Personally, my favourite is the parlour lady. I love her accent and the way she speaks. Girls visit beauty parlours so often, and almost everyone has had similar experiences there. That’s why I enjoy playing that character the most,” she said.

Dharna reveals that most of her performances are built on observation rather than imagination.

“If I notice someone’s tiny habit or a particular expression and it stays with me, I incorporate it into my characters,” she said.

Had content creation and acting not happened, Dharna believes she would have taken a completely different path.

“I would probably have been helping my mother with our family business,” she said.

Despite millions of followers and a successful transition to films, Dharna admits that self-doubt has never really disappeared.

“I also have days when I think, ‘These videos aren’t turning out well. What am I doing? Were they ever good? I overthink everything.’ All of that is completely normal,” she said.

Her advice to aspiring creators, especially young women, is rooted in patience rather than perfection.

“Trust the process. It’s good to have goals, but don’t let them become pressure. I’m still learning too. Just be patient. Believe in yourself. Focus more on the handful of people who genuinely support you than on the negativity. Those are the people who keep you motivated to move forward.”