Breaking good
Originally, there weren’t any plans for a second season,” says Shriya Pilgaonkar about the newly released sequel of the web series, 'The Broken News.' “The love we received in 2022 enabled us to do so,” she adds.
Two years ago, the Zee5 show saw Shriya step into the shoes of Radha Bhargava, a fearless and determined TV journalist who, by the end of the season, is falsely implicated as a terrorist and imprisoned. Based on the BBC One show Press, it is written by Sambit Mishra, and revolves around two competing news channels and explores the challenges faced by journalists. In season 2, Radha is out on bail, seeking retribution against the ratings-driven journalist and Josh TV’s head Dipankar Sanyal, played by Jaideep Ahlawat. She has teamed up with Ameena Qureshi, a principled editor, who heads Awaaz Bharti, portrayed by the versatile Sonali Bendre
“Radha has completely flipped in season two; she’s back with a vengeance. She’s not the same person she used to be. While earlier, there were certain principles, morals and ethics she had always worked with, prison has hardened her. Now she is angry and feels betrayed by the system,” the actor says.
Shriya adds that she found the process of revisiting Radha intriguing, particularly because of the choices she makes. She admits having to actively refrain herself from judging the character. “It was quite a challenge for me to portray her in this season because it’s so far off from who I am as a person. But, I think that’s the fun in acting, as I enjoy playing characters that are on the edge, that are on the cusp of transformation,” she says adding, “Learning and unlearning is a constant part of an actor’s evolution. The writing of season two is incredible, and we were encouraged to add layers to our characters.”
Although Shriya has been in the industry for over a decade, she is still finding her footing. After a brief stint in theatre, she made her Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in 'Fan' in 2016, to a noteworthy response. Her breakthrough role, however, came two years later with the popular series, 'Mirzapur', where she played a strong, independent woman amid a patriarchal mafia milieu of an Uttar Pradesh town. She also starred in the Netflix film, 'House Arrest' (2019) and the show, 'The Gone Game' (2020). The first season of 'The Broken News' is the second major project headlined by Shriya after the 2022 show 'Guilty Minds'. Making the latest show even more significant in her career is the fact that she shares screen space with the likes of Ahlawat and Bendre.
“There’s so much give and take when you work with such great actors. That energy and creating that dynamic with them is extremely exciting for me. Sonali’s part was not easy. There’s so much respect between Ameena and Radha. Ameena has always been so protective of Radha, but at the same time, she understands that Radha has to fight her own battles,” Shriya says, adding, “Jaideep’s stillness, on the other hand, is so powerful, and I have some fantastic scenes with him. The Radha-Dipankar scenes are actually my favourite. The exchange of energy is a lot of fun.”
Born to critically acclaimed actors Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar, Shriya has the right genes in place. As for displaying her acting prowess, she is getting there, albeit gradually. After all, slow and steady wins the race.