Do you remember the little girl who captured everyone’s heart as baby Shruti in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and then went on to grab the nations attention in Makdi and Iqbal? Yes, Shweta Prasad, now Shweta Basu Prasad, is almost an adult and on a roll with her success as Swapna in Kotha Bangaru Lokam. In the city for a day she chatted with Expresso about her rocketing career, her life as an almost adult and her future plans.
How old are you again?
I am practically 18. In fact, in January I will turn 18.
So, you became famous from day one…how does it feel?
It has always been my dream to be an actress. I remember I used to enact scenes and do mimicry in front of the mirror, so it feels really great. But you know the best part is that I never had any training in acting, in fact I did not even take part in any school skits at all, and so it is my knack for acting that everyone appreciates.
From a child actor to a supporting actor and now a successful lead heroine, how has this journey been?
It has been eventful to say the least. I know that I haven’t done too many films but I am glad that I got the right projects at the right time. It has given me the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in the industry and I got to learn a lot from them.
So, has fame had any effect on your personal life? How are you balancing your career and education?
Well, it has not been too difficult. Yes, there are lots of things to do but my life has not changed as such. I spend most of my free time with my family and am completely guided by them.
As for my education…I come from a very education oriented, typical Bengali family, where every other person is a doctor or an engineer, so I will continue to pursue my studies, even though I don’t need it for my career. Currently I am doing my 11th Standard, Commerce in private mode and will continue until I feel that I have achieved at least some basic level of qualification.
Why the sudden foray into Telugu Cinema?
Well, it is actually my mother who chooses my scripts for me, so it is she who thought this (Kotha Bangaru Lokam) would be an ideal platform to launch myself in Tollywood. She had seen the Dil Raju’s film Bommarillu win many awards and so decided that this would be a nice entry as a heroine down south. So here I am now with my fingers crossed…lets see how it goes.
Tell us a little about how Shweta likes to chill out when not working.
Well, I love swimming and playing lawn tennis. Other than that I am a voracious reader and also love listening to music. So when you find me not working you will inevitably find that I am doing one of these things to chill out.
What can we expect from you in the future?
For now there is one project, tentatively titled Swapna that I have signed up for. There is also another Tollywood project that I am thinking of taking up, but come next year I am going back to Bollywood to be launched as a heroine and I have quite a lot of things planned up, so I think it is going to be a busy new year.
On Hyderabad
Hyderabad is a lucky city for me. I shot Iqbal here and now my first role as a heroine is also in a Telugu film, so you can say that I am in love with this city.
Trivia
Shweta’s film career started when she went for an audition for a Vishal Bharadwaj project, which eventually got scrapped. Amazed by her acting skills Vishal promised to take her in his next children’s project. Thinking it to be a mere consolatory statement, Shweta never thought that soon she would actually be called to be the child lead in Bharadwaj’s Makdi, without even a second audition.
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