Shilpa Shukla is a woman with many faces. If she played the bossy unscrupulous hockey captain in the commercially successful Chak De India, in her upcoming movie B.A. Pass, she plays a seductive siren. And for someone with as significant a repertoire as hers, the challenge remains in the character than the movie.
After debuting in 2003 in the critically acclaimed Khamosh Pani, Shilpa has taken the road less travelled in an industry that is unforgiving and tough on outsiders. With little chance of success in the big bad world of movies, Shilpa managed not only to plant her feet firmly but with roles like the feisty Bindiya Nayak.
And in her bid to expand the horizons, the 32 year old actress has taken on the mantle of Sarika, a sex guru played a la Mrs Robinson in the short story adaptation. Written by Mohan Sikka, Railway Aunty narrates the story of Sarika, the wife of a highly-placed government officer.
“Everyone has a chance to succeed. But, the most important is a reality check. Are you really meant for this? Do you want to go through this world ruled by stars,” are the questions that the gutsy Shilpa has been asking herself. Calling this her most “liberating” role, Shilpa says, “Sarika of B.A.Pass helped me explore life, body, mind and spirituality. That’s rare for Bollywood. Sarika is indeed the most liberating character I’ve played till date.”
Shilpa had previously played a Pakistani schoolgirl (Khamosh Pani), a hockey player (Chak De! India), and a pickpocket (Bhindi Baazaar Inc.). “I just want to entertain the audience. I want to be able to communicate that we are all the same. And that I steal from them to give it back to them. And I want to communicate hope. Hope for redemption, hope for change of heart,” she says of her many work.
After Chak De and Bhindi Baazar, the thespian who is an alumnus of the Asmita Theatre group, said no to two big commercial films. Ask her if it was a conscious decision and she says without batting an eyelid, “I have no regrets and I am immensely proud of the actresses who eventually played those parts. For my part, I took a break to re-collect my dream. To live little more before I get neck deep into work for future. I wanted to solidify my ground. Clear my heart and tune my mind. Also, I feel with every role, a part of you dies.”
Having started young and with no godfather in the industry, the actress considers herself “lucky”.
“It began in school quite unintentionally. But thank God I have been so lucky. The first into acting ever from my family, I am lucky that I was chosen for these landmark films,” says the actress who was still in college when she debuted.
But despite being green in the industry, Shilpa had a history of theatre in Delhi to bank on. “I enjoy the process of understanding human emotions and giving face to them. Acting was the best thing that happened to me after my parents. It became an integral part of me for it always was. Acting begins with emotions. I had plenty in my childhood.” At this point, she may have just five films to her credit, but Shilpa has been around the industry for a decade and has grown along with it.
“Bollywood has been ever changing and evolving. There is somehow space for all kinds of experiments here. I personally feel that Bollywood still needs to pay attention to literature and story telling. We had it all back in the 50s and 60s. That dignity of Bollywood is definitely missed. And the focus on money makes it lopsided. Bollywood can do a lot more for the audience of this country. They can, I hope, achieve a balance between entertaining and educating its audience,” expresses Shilpa quite strongly, before adding, “Bollywood lacks the power to visualise an actor and their possibilities. And by this, I don’t mean hair and make-up.”
And with Bollywood celebrating 100 years of cinema, the importance of realising how far we’ve come as an industry right now couldn’t have been better timed.
“Earlier actors had such a good command on the language and diction. They had gravity then; sadly, I miss that now. It’s half baked talent (out there). And everybody is in a rush to quickly get a break, to quickly get rich and famous. And those who are rich and famous struggle to continue to be there. So, I really don’t know what to say for acting.”
For her, the fans are the one who speak loudest.
“What is most fulfilling is that I feel like my fans were waiting to see me. My friend from Chak De, Shubhi Mehta, who returned from Muscat, told me that a bunch of young boys had sent their love and wishes for B.A. Pass. They saw the promo and said “We can’t watch the film here but tell her that we are praying for its success.” What more do we live for?” she says adding, “I think the it’s best thing to happen to such a well-made, truly independent film that has been so well-received all across the festival.”
B.A. Pass won the Best Film Award at last year’s Osian Cinefest and was nominated for the Best First Feature Film at the Montreal World Film Festival. The erotic thriller stars Shadab opposite Shilpa and has quite a few passionate scenes. The film releases in theatres on July 12.