After Wake Up Sid, I Was Offered Some Films That Were Never Made: Shikha Talsania

Actress Shikha Talsania says if people offer her a role similar to the one that she played in the new film Veere Di Wedding, she wouldn't mind and would bring some variation.

The Hindi film industry tends to typecast actors.

Asked what if she gets more roles similar to her character, Meera, Shikha told IANS here: "I won't mind doing a similar role. I will bring variation to that. I know that after the release of 'Veere...', people might just offer me more roles like Meera."

"I have no problem with that. Give them all to me, I will do some variation or the other to that through my performance."

Having started her career in Bollywood with the 2009 hit film Wake Up Sid, the actress worked with director Deepa Mehta in Midnight's Children and Madhur Bhandarkar in Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji but it seems like she finally got visibility with the film Veere Di Wedding.

"After ‘Wake Up Sid', I acted in many digital films apart from feature films. In some, my part got edited out. I was offered some films that were never made. I was also doing theatre, so a lot of things were going on," she said.

In Veere..., she plays a woman who goes through a troublesome marriage. The film revolves around the four female protagonists and is also produced by women. Is that the reason she found the film special?

"When I was offered the role in the film, I did not look at the film as a female-oriented film. I see no gender in a story because for an actor like me, a good character and a good story are the deciding factors for a film.

"In ‘Veere...', I think each character is very relatable and that is what I liked about the film. I think we all have met these girls in our daily lives. I know people like Meera," Shikha said.

This is the first time that she got a chance to see herself on the posters of a film. That's "surreal" for her.

"You know when you grow up in the industry and wish to become an actress, you have that on your bucket list...that ‘one day I will see myself on a film's poster'. Now that it is happening, I am happy! It is a surreal feeling."

She is the daughter of renowned actor Tiku Talsania. Asked if acting was one of her natural career options, Shikha said: "As a kid, I was not sure if I wanted to be an actor but from the time I realized that this is my true calling, I really worked hard to be where I am today.

"When people talk about natural talent that I got genetically because of my parents, I think somewhere they take away the credit for my hard work. I think that is not right."