Mumbai, Aug 8 (IANS): Actress Anushka Sharma says watching films does not always help understand the medium better, and that experiences in life help add value to storytelling, too.

Anushka's father served in the Army, so she and her brother Karnesh, who is her partner in their production house, grew up in a military background, which entailed lots of travelling.

"Being Army kids, we are always open to new ideas and all that travelling really helped us understand local stories. Such experiences not only helped us in storytelling but also made us look at things in different ways rather than a set societal perspective," the actress said.

"Watching movies doesn't always help you understand movies better. Our life experiences have helped us in this business. We have approached everything with a fresh mind. If we have taken the less travelled path, it is because we have followed our instincts!" she said.

The actress reveals that there is no formula for success when it comes to content production.

"The business of production is tricky and even the most experienced cannot say that they have figured it out. You just learn from your mistakes. Even when things don't work the way you wanted, they give us learnings," she said.