CHHATTISGARH: Shashi Mohan Singh, an IPS officer from Chhattisgarh cadre, strikes a delicate balance between his full-time occupation and his passion for acting.
He dons the police uniform in real life, while his silver screen presence has established him as an accomplished actor in Chhollywood (Chhattisgarh cinema industry), as well as on stage, short films, and Hindi language cinema.
For the 2012-batch IPS officer, his role as an actor comes with a message for society. “In most of my roles, preference remains for impressive storylines that can deliver issue-based or strong messages besides the entertainment of the audiences. It’s all about the theme — with an appealing storyline, it holds the power to influence the heart and mind”, says Singh.
He joined the police service after clearing the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission in 1997. Today, he is a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Jashpur district.
Interestingly, he acted as a Maoist leader in one of his movies, propagating the message of how the banned outfit exists on hollow ideology and violence. In his role as a villain, he attempts to connect the audience with his character’s motivations and emotions.
Singh has penned scripts for various movies and theatre dramas, written dialogues and poetry, and directed a few films as well. “Since my school days, a deep inclination towards acting remained my leisure pursuit and in our village in Buxar (Bihar), where I was born, I got enough opportunities to act in dramas, plays and theatre through various Natya Shalas. I have also acted in Chhattisgarhi and Bhojpuri films.”
Singh’s compelling character roles and strong themes in some of his movies resonate well with audiences. They also get him recognition. A movie, Bhulan The Maze, in which he acted as a jailer, won a national award in the Best Film category of regional cinema at the 67th National Film Awards. It also won appreciation globally.
His three short films — Gomti, Yatna, and Kotpa received national acclaim as best films and won awards. Recently, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai attended the grand screening of a short film, ‘Kajri’, written and directed by the Jashpur SSP.
‘Kajri’ addresses the critical issue of human trafficking and aims to raise public awareness and vigilance in a place like Jashpur. This predominantly tribal-populated district has earned an undeserved notoriety as a hub for human trafficking for several decades.
Singh said, Kajri, in which he acted as SP, depicts how human traffickers deceive and entrap innocent girls via social media, ultimately endangering their lives, and how law enforcement comes to their rescue.
He doesn’t crave awards but secures personal satisfaction by taking on roles that convey strong meaning and offer valuable lessons to society.
Singh says, “As a police officer with over two and a half decades of service, I have gathered enough experience to attempt to pass on through my roles and scripts, sensitive social issues, crime, drug addiction, justice, and relationships. Attention on them is crucial for character development.”
The IPS officer also launched the “Click Safe, Staying Safe” campaign, in collaboration with UNICEF, to combat cybercrime, particularly among children and young people.
Ironically, though Singh wants to play different roles, he is often offered the character of a police officer. “I politely refuse to act as police officer because it’s no challenge for me”, he says. However, he has delivered an impactful performance in the role of a police officer, too, he says, musing that his duties as an IPS officer came quite handy during the filming.