Actress Shilpa Shukla talks about how she keeps characters true to herself. By Chahak Mittal
When actor Shilpa Shukla entered the Hindi film industry, abiding by the common wisdom, she tried hard to be conventional. She says, “Earlier, people told me that acceptance happens if you present yourself in a conventional way. It is funny because as much as I tried being myself and focus on my acting, I also tried to be a part of this mindset.” It was writer and filmmaker, Jaideep Sahni, she says, who told her to be herself and break out of that trap during the filming of Chak De India. “He told me, ‘Tu jaljeera hai. Tu Coca Cola bann ne ki koshish kyun kar rahi hai?’” And that is what set her on a path that has now hewed out for herself. The rest as the history for Bindiya Naik remains one of the most memorable characters from the film.
“I was really intrigued by these words. Why do we after all try to become someone that we are not? From 2010 I started following that. It’s very important for me to be comfortable in my own skin,” says that actor who will be seen in Bombairiya.
Shilpa believes that imitating a style that wasn’t her was tough. She says, “When I wore lenses for the first time for a screening, my eyes were teary throughout. And I wondered to myself as to why did I wear them? I had to be me. But I equally respect those people who actually put themselves in someone else’s shoes and act.”
Even if you’ve been a part of numerous experiences, there are always certain spaces which remain unexplored, believes Shilpa of Chak De... and BA Pass fame. She says that her role in the film really “fired her up” after she learnt how it fitted in the “entire ensemble” of things. “I don’t think there are many scripts around this topic today. The film talks about a very relevant issue for today’s society through humour. So I found it very unique,” she says.
The film’s director Pia Sukanya had earlier said that the film makes vulnerable characters appear funny. It’s a film, she said, where one would laugh at the plot and people’s situations because they are too real. “Crisis-like situations are laughable provided you are not a part of it,” she said.
Shilpa says that she found the script interesting since she had never played a politician before and “my character is a funny one. In a way, her situation is very serious but it can make people laugh. I liked the fact that there were so many different and interesting actors working in the film. While telling a story, I feel all of us are instruments but in this particular film, everyone together becomes one whole.”
Playing varied characters and getting into someone else’s shoes is of course difficult. So how does portraying a character personally affect or change a person? Shilpa feels that even though one plays a character and is constantly engrossed in it while shooting, “many a times, the realisation hits you much later after the film is released. And then, you start thinking about it. Acting is very instinctive. You often work without really putting your mind and thought to it.”
She says that it was only when she watched the film for the first time, that she realised what kind of a message her character or the film tries to give. “When I read the script, I was laughing throughout. But only when I watched the film I realised that it conveys such an important message through comedy.”
She says that it was similar with Chak De... the film where she was noticed for the first time. Incidentally, it also transformed her in a way as she “fell in love” with hockey. Before that she had never played the sport. “After that very role, I was eager to go and watch the Hockey World Cup to see my country win. It happened after 36 years. When such realities come together, the joy is irreplaceable,” says she.
Even though she has acted in other films, her character of Bindiya Naik is the one that people still remember very well. For Shilpa as well, the role was path-breaking as it shaped her acting career, enabled her to move ahead and be true to herself.
The actress comes from a non-Bollywood background and says that she had no “orientation” before coming to the industry. “Earlier I used to think that you complete the work and your job is done. But there is a lot that goes behind it. It makes you learn so much. Chak De, was my first commercial blockbuster.” She felt that she had a lot to learn even after that. And being real topped the list.
That was evident in her character in BA Pass which too garnered a round of applause.
She reveals that for her first stint, Khaamosh Paani, she was only 18 and basically “a kid who knew nothing.” She says that there were around 90-100 girls for the role’s audition, and it went extremely well for her. But “I still don’t know what had worked. So there are spaces which are always unknown.”
She says that with a role like BA Pass, she learnt how to read, understand and question. She realised that even success has nothing to do with happiness. “So it taught me to figure out what is going to keep me in a happy space, equally empathetic to others, and in-tune with reality. Because often, in this industry, we are taken away from reality. We live in our own world.” She adds that this condition is not fair for any artist, “because artists draw their energy from life. So I don’t believe in living in a limbo and creating characters.”
While talking about the evolution of Bollywood over the years, she says that today “everyone is a hero.” She adds, “Why do certain films work? For example, Chak De worked because everyone was a hero in it. We can see the times are changing. Women are leading, actor is not the only hero.”
She gives another example of her film, BA Pass. “People had questioned that the filmmakers had put a woman in the forefront of the poster, so it might not sell. I remember during its release, Chennai Express was going to release the next week. But the film worked and it is an evidence that audience is accepting the change. When we talk of demand and supply, this is what it is about. Supply is not putting the blame on demand anymore. There are equal responsibilities. People are accepting content, and rejecting what they don’t like. They only put their money where they find it worth. Even though it will take time to change completely, the good news is that interesting times have started.”(Starring Radhika Apte, Akshay Oberoi, Ravi Kishan, among other actors, the film releases on
January 18.)
Photo: Pankaj Kumar
