What was your prep like for Rohit Shetty’s series?
Everything happened so fast with Indian Police Force that I was actually leaving for an outdoor shoot for Sukhi. And I had to make sure that in between my Chandigarh schedule I had to come back. There was a lot of prep for that.Kind of prep my mind to do diverse characters. That was the hardest part, actually. But I think my training from the 1990s came to great use in this time and age. Luckily for me I am a director’s actor and Rohit is a fantastic director. When it comes to this milieu, getting into his cop was as the first female cop. I had all laid out for me and a lot of prep done for me in terms of how I needed to play this character. Obviously adding my own nuances and colour to my character Tara.
Did you bond well with your director and co-stars?
I think it was rather easy because working on a film is a little different from a web series. It is all very well etched out. You know what you have to do in every episode and you deliver it accordingly. It was great fun to be associated with Rohit Shetty. And he has a different style and hence you will see a different presentation of Shilpa Shetty yet another time. As for interacting with my co-stars, it’s been nothing but a pleasure to work with Vivek Oberoi, whom I’ve known personally before. And we have had many long conversations that kind of continued on set as well. But he’s such a phenomenal actor. I love the ease with which he does what he does. And that comes from experience and just an inherent amount of talent that he possesses. Regarding Sid(Malhotra), he is someone that’s really calm, composed. I think it’s a quality that these new age actors possess and his entire approach to his work. I admire the way Sid approaches his work and there’s a certain calm in his demeanor which is wonderful to see.And he’s so extremely handsome that he makes everything look so good, he makes me look good too. So it was an absolute pleasure to work with him,an absolute gentleman and a very hard working actor.
I believe you role was originally written for a male actor?
I just think that the role was really well-etched out, well written and I have to give Rohit the credit of treating the character with absolute honesty and I think giving the character all that it required without a gender bias. Due credit must be given to Rohit that did absolute justice to my character, gender notwithstanding.
What are your future plans? Do you intend to do more work in the coming year?
Well, I don’t plan the future, the future is already predestined. Yes, I’m just walking or rather treading the path with extreme gratitude in my heart. Yes, I can only assure you that now on whatever you see of me on celluloid will be with the idea of wanting to push the envelope, you know, change perspectives of me as an actor and also go deeper into discovering what more I have in store. So, yes, it’s been an exciting time for me and I’m so happy that filmmakers are actually rediscovering me and a new facet to my talent.
What is your take on the kind of films that are working at the boxoffice?
Well, the films that do well are actually the ones that are able to surprise you or appease you in terms of content. And they also are a reflection of the fabric of our society. So somewhere maybe they recognize through content that oh, this is something that exists, maybe it’s a revelation through a film maker’s perspective or maybe a new take on how an actor plays a certain character. There has to be some newness to that content. And that’s what works and has always worked and will continue to work. The madness is still the same, the method is different. It’s amazing to see filmmakers really take those risks because also you have streaming platforms that take away from the onus of box office numbers. So people are more open to kind of still delving into making interesting content even if it’s not catering to theater audiences because people are devouring all kinds of content on OTT. So it’s interesting to see the landscape and on different platforms. I really feel very happy as an artist today to come across so many different kinds of films and characters or a choice that we didn’t have back in the day.
Does your husband share parental responsibilities with you?
Both of us, Raj and I, spend quality time with our kids and I for one don’t work on Sundays. I’ve come from the mindset of being brought up by two parents who were extremely busy and working parents, who actually spent lesser time than we have with our kids and we’ve turned out great. I think this also inculcates the sense of work ethics and respect for the fact that my children see that mom goes to work and they grow up understanding the value of work. Yes, so that’s how I deal with it and we take long holidays with them. I enjoy my life and I’m so blessed that work is still coming my way and I have beautiful children who actually encourage me to work and are proud of me.