Sara Ali Khan made her big Bollywood debut in 2018, with Abhishek Kapoor’s Kedarnath. She was seen alongside the late Sushant Singh Rajput, and left a lasting impression with her debut performance.

Since then, Sara has made a genuine connect with the audience with her girl-next-door vibe and always being her authentic self.

In a conversation with NDTV Yuva, Sara addressed a slew of things—from being judged for being a public figure, the importance of being authentic, being an advocate of mental health, and how her family waded past the horrific attack on Saif Ali Khan at his residence, during a burglary attempt in January.

Sara Ali Khan On Being Her True Self

Speaking about encapsulating her whole identity, the one we see on social media, the one in films, and the one when she isn’t in front of the camera, Sara said, “If I can ever truly encapsulate who I am, what I am discovering, and what my education taught me is you never stop learning and growing. It is not about learning about the external world. It is also reinventing who you are.”

She added, “I believe, as an Indian girl, I am discovering who I am, where I have come from, where I am going. I can’t encapsulate. While I love Instagram, to connect and everything, the demerit is that we think we know someone entirely. It is always a one-sided relationship with celebs. People who we don’t know personally, or through TV or social media, we end up thinking we know them. I don’t know how I feel anymore. I love showing who I am, but people making conclusions that this is all that I am, can be disheartening.”

Sara On Being Authentic Vs Filtered On Social Media

Most often, stars are accused of not being their authentic self on social media. But Sara Ali Khan begs to differ.

The actress mentioned that wanting a Chanel bag only shows that she is aspirational. But that is just one part of her. Being rooted and authentic is equally important to her.

She mentioned that she does not believe she is a filtered person at all, however, she must practice that caution.

The actress said, “I don’t believe in being filtered as a person. There is a difference between being filtered and being unaware. Especially now, you conclude not based on evidence. It is important to watch what you say. I am trying to improve there. I tend to speak from the heart.”

She further added, “I try to be honest to people who follow me. I try to showcase what I am, be it humour, be it travelling. But that is not all that I am. Instagram is a partial reality. That is what is concluded incorrectly.”

Being A Strong Advocate Of Mental Health, And Taking Care Of Her Own Peace Of Mind

As mental health continues to be an important topic, Sara Ali Khan has always been vocal about how she manages to keep herself in check.

Addressing the importance of the same, she shared, “My job helps me with my mental health. I meditate every day. I write gratitude journals. There is a lot of noise outside, but internally also you have something going on. Sometimes I have to ignore the internal voice also, along with the trolls.”

Family Recuperating After Saif Ali Khan’s Attack

Saif Ali Khan was attacked at his residence, on January 16, 2025, during a burglary attempt. Though it could have gotten a lot more serious, Saif was taken to the hospital right in time.

Recalling the difficult time, and what such unfortunate incidents make you realise, Sara shared, “It makes you realise what truly matters. The entire family only felt gratitude because it could have gone so wrong. I am so grateful that everything is fine. It was a reminder almost of the life we have. Being grateful for your life, it is so important. And moments like that, make you realise that.”

Sara Ali Khan On The Competition Around

Sara honestly spoke about how it is impossible not to notice the competition around, in today’s generation. But what we often forget is that, there are a lot of compromises, challenges, and disappointments that went into it, to make that dream come true.

Speaking of Alia Bhatt winning the National Award, Sara shared, “When Alia got the National Award, I was like, ‘God she got it, she has a kid also, her life is set.’ But I don’t know what she went through to get that. I, as an actor, de-humanised her. You don’t know, she must have had challenges and disappointments too, to reach where she has. But I didn’t realise what went into it. There are two sides to every coin.”

Producing A Film On A Theme She Is Passionate About

Pondering hard on the kind of theme she would like to bring to life, if she was producing her film, Sara expressed her love for India and the many enriching stories it has to offer.

The actress said, “Our country has so many stories, there was a point where I would want to be a queen in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, and a modern girl in a Zoya Akhtar film. And both are still true. I just want to depict stories of a Modern Indian girl, who has dreams, aspirations, and everything, I want to represent that.”

Sara On The Content She Likes And Dislikes: “Adolescence Was Heart Wrenching”

Sara was asked to express her opinion on the kind of content she prefers to watch, and the ones that do not hold her interest.

She said, “To begin with, I saw Adolescence, it was heart wrenching. High concept with exceptional technicalities is what works now. That child must be 13, in the third episode it is no longer about the age. I think work like that inspires me. To be that seamless. It is inspiring. I like watching varied content, the need-of-the-hour is to be authentic, organic, and honest. People don’t want to watch the same old thing. Rooted and hard-hitting content is what I wish for. Our country is so rich, every aspect of Sara is enamoured by the beauty and richness of my country.”

With that Sara signed off, and truly left a lasting impression of why her effortlessly real self continues to establish a connect with the young crowd today, making her the perfect “Yuva”, to root for.
 

 Sara Ali Khan was last seen in Skyforce with Veer Pahariya and Akshay Kumar