Sharvari embraces beauty as a personal and playful expression, becoming H&M Beauty's first ambassador in India. Her diverse filmography and evolving aesthetic reflect her belief in breaking boundaries, celebrating individuality, and redefining femininity in the entertainment industry.
Sharvari's current career trajectory is one defined by range. In the space of a few years, the actor has moved between the horror-comedy Munjya, the action-driven world of Vedaa, the YRF Spy Universe and the more intimate character work of Main Vaapas Aaunga, building a distinct filmography. Now, she is bringing that same energy to beauty.
H&M Beauty has named Sharvari its first-ever ambassador in India, making her the face of the brand as it expands its beauty offering across makeup, fragrance, hair and body care. The partnership comes at a moment when the actor is increasingly comfortable with the idea of not being defined by a single aesthetic, genre or version of herself.
Ahead of the launch of H&M Beauty’s new assortment in India, Sharvari speaks exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter India about how applying kajal helped her step into the role of Jiya in Main Vaapas Aaunga, navigating beauty scrutiny in the age of social media, and the trends she is happy to let the Internet move on from.
You are at a point in your career where you are exploring different genres and characters. What makes this partnership feel particularly relevant to the person and actor you are becoming today?
It comes at a natural time for me because I’m learning not to put myself in one box. The characters I’ve played have all looked and felt different, and I think I’ve become more comfortable with that idea of change. Beauty is quite similar for me. Some days I want to keep it simple, and some days I want to have fun with it and try something completely different. What I like about H&M Beauty is that it doesn’t feel like there is one way you are supposed to look. It gives you the freedom to play, and that feels much like where I am right now.
Is there a particular look or transformation from one of your films that challenged the way you saw yourself? Did it change anything about how you approach beauty off screen?
A beauty look that I loved was Main Vaapas Aaunga. I am not someone who uses kajal usually, but I shed that inhibition for the character of Jiya. I went with Imtiaz (Ali) sir’s vision for her. I remember every time I looked into my eyes after the makeup, I felt different. I felt like I was in another era, another world, and I felt like Jiya. That makeup transformation really helped me feel deeply as the character. I feel it gave me the confidence to try bold eyes off screen too, because I got so much love for the beauty look in that film.
Beauty can be both a form of personal expression and an expectation placed on women in the entertainment industry. How do you navigate that relationship, particularly in an era where every appearance is scrutinised online?
The biggest thing is remembering that not every appearance has to be perfect. We are actors, but we are also human beings. There are days when I love getting dressed up, doing my makeup and spending two hours getting ready, and there are days when I want to be in my pyjamas with my hair tied up and not think about how I look at all.
Social media can make you feel like you are constantly being watched, so I try to come back to something simple, whether I feel good in what I’m wearing or how I’m presenting myself. I’ve realised that when you are comfortable with yourself, you don’t spend as much time wondering how everyone else is looking at you.
Your filmography has taken you across different cinematic worlds. How do these contrasting roles influence the way you think about femininity, strength and the way women present themselves on screen?
I don’t think femininity has one visual language. You can be very feminine and still be physically strong, or you can be completely covered in dirt and bruises after an action sequence and still feel feminine. Those things don’t cancel each other out.
With every character, I think the challenge is to understand what makes that woman feel like herself. Sometimes it is the clothes, sometimes it is the hair, sometimes it is something as small as the way she carries herself. For me, that is where beauty becomes interesting, when it is helping you understand the person rather than just making the person look beautiful.
Social media has made beauty more experimental, but it has also made trends move at an extraordinary pace. Do you enjoy keeping up with them, or prefer to discover things in your own time?
I definitely see everything! I’m on Instagram way too much and I send memes to all my different friend groups, so I’m not pretending I’m disconnected from it. But I don’t think I can keep up with every trend. Some things I’ll see and immediately think, “I need to try this,” and some things I’ll see five times before I even understand why everyone is doing it. I think I’ve become better at taking inspiration from trends without feeling like I have to follow them. If something makes me feel like myself, I’ll keep it. Otherwise, I’m quite happy to let the internet move on without me.
H&M Beauty has named you its first-ever Beauty Face. When you think about the beauty campaigns you grew up seeing, what did you imagine a beauty campaign was supposed to look like and how has that idea changed for you?
When I was growing up, beauty campaigns felt very aspirational to me. There was this idea that the woman in the campaign had already arrived, she had the perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect makeup, and you were looking at her thinking, this is what beautiful is supposed to look like.
What feels different about beauty today, and something I really connect with in H&M Beauty, is that it's much more open-ended. Beauty doesn’t have to be about becoming that one ideal version of yourself. It can be about having options, trying a different lip, changing your hair, keeping your skin fresh, going completely bare-faced and deciding for yourself what feels good that day. That shift from aspiration to possibility is really exciting.
If your current phase of life had a beauty look, what would it be called?
“Gloss, glow and go.”
Because I don’t have the time for anything too complicated right now!
What’s one beauty rule you’ve happily broken?
Using a product for something it wasn’t technically meant for. If it works, it works.
What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a full day of glam?
I get out of it immediately. The first thing I want is my face clean, my hair up and something comfortable. There’s nothing better than finally taking off a full face of makeup after a long day.
What’s your most irrational beauty-related pet peeve?
When a new product has a really complicated opening mechanism. I don't have the patience for it.
Which version of Sharvari is more fun to get ready as? Everyday Sharvari or red-carpet Sharvari?
Red-carpet Sharvari is definitely more fun to create because you can really play with the look. But everyday Sharvari is probably more me.
If you could create one beauty product with H&M Beauty and name it after yourself, what would it be?
I’d create my own Glowy Tint Blush in the shade Light Coral Kiss. It’s super versatile, and that’s why it would be my pick.
Complete this sentence: “I feel most like myself when…”
I am with my favourite people.