Good looking actor, Sheetal Thakur, is quite excited about her new Viu web series, Banned produced by Bodhi Tree, which is presently streaming. “We will first upload four episodes of this story about a musical band that gets into trouble due to its lyrics, and how my character bails them out is the crux of the story. The remaining 8 episodes will be streamed on a weekly basis.”
Talking about her character, Sheetal, who was also a part of the recent Netflix Original Brij Mohan Amar Rahe says, “As opposed to my very bold avatar in the above web film, here she is a very normal girl who brooks no nonsense.”
Here, Sheetal accepts, “The show is a comment on today’s India and its youth, who want freedom to say and do what they want. Difference of opinion is always healthy, but the moot point is that you can’t just ban anything for it does not suit you. Matters are further made worse when every issue is looked at through a political prism. We have used a lighter vein to show that what the band says is not bizarre.”
“Having said that, I don’t have any issue with film censorship per se. Again, the issue is that, despite certification, certain content is not allowed. In this unfortunate scenario, about which nothing much can be done, the web, with its free architecture, offers a ray of hope for freedom of expression, something that is important to any democracy.”
In closing, Sheetal, who has also done a super hit Punjabi film, seems to be a big fan of Viu. “They are making some great content e.g. Tamanna. It allows us actors to rub shoulders with the best in the business.”
Best of luck, Sheetal