She was last seen in mega serials like ‘Savithri’, ‘Thangamana Purushan’ and ‘Kanmaniyae’. And when her fans were about to start missing her, Shilpa made a surprise comeback with ‘Chellamae’ (aired on Sun TV).
“I just took a small break as my mother was ill,” says Shilpa, who is happy that her cop role (she plays DCP) in ‘Chellamae’ have clicked well. However, this is not her first time sporting the khaki uniform, as she has already done once in ‘Chithi’.
“My role in KB sir’s ‘Shanthi Nilayam’ (on Jaya TV) is exactly the opposite to that of ‘Chellamae’. I play a lobbyist. My character has been introduced recently and I’m getting a positive feedback,” the actor explains. “I’m lucky to work with directors Venkat and K Balachander.”
In another serial, ‘Vasantham’ (on Sun TV at 1pm), she portrays a negative character and speaks the local Tamil. “It’s fun as well as challenging to speak the language. But the crew members always help me to get the diction right,” she says. Having been a small screen star for over a decade, Shilpa says she is more comfortable in Chinna Thirai than films.
“Soon after completing the school in Holy Angels Convent, I got offers to anchor shows and since 1999, I’ve been acting in serials,” says Shilpa. Later, she did a couple of films like ‘Priyamanavalae’ where she played Simran’s sister. But, she says, serials suited her because it’s like going to office. “You work from 9am to 6pm and after that you can do your personal works,” says Shilpa, who has started dubbing for her own serials. “Though I’m in the industry for long I haven’t tried dubbing. I started dubbing only from ‘Chellamae’ and now I’m giving voice to all my three serials,” says Shilpa, who still remembers her role in ‘Chinna Chinna Aasai’, the serial that made her a household name.
Shilpa considers herself to be a perfectionist and she does homework before signing the serial.
"When director explains my role in the serial, I always look for reference and work on it,” she says and adds that she has lost count on the number of serials she had acted.
Does she have plans to direct one?
“It’s a big process and one has to be technically sound, too. I’ve ideas but it will take a long time,” she says and gets busy getting ready for her shot in ‘Shanthi Nilayam’.