As a web producer, Shama Sikander wants to really push the envelope. No wonder she is going against the glamour grain and trying to point out the starker side of life, i.e. depression and death, courtesy her short series, Ab Dil Ki Sun. Its second part, titled Compassion, has just hit the World Wide Web.
“I was really tired of TV, which is full of falsehoods that society wants to believe. Films, on the other hand, are full of glamour. Web still has the space to offer true and realistic content,” says Shama, who began her long career, with the role of a simple girl in Yeh Meri Life Hai, way back in 2003.
For a girl who puts out very glamorous pics on social media, and has done very bold roles in Sexaholic and Maaya, Shama had no qualms about the de-glam look in Ab Dil Ki Sun. “We can’t look good all the time. Plus, how do you expect a girl who is facing depression or certain death to appear?”
“Few might crib that it is dark, but I personally know the hell a depressed and mentally ill (bipolar) person goes through and it is not pretty. The only way I could come out was when I confronted my own darkness. Today, we live such fake lives. If someone asks you how you are, he/she does not really want to listen to your sob story. Similarly, all those glamorous people you see on the red carpet might not really be at self peace. Many of them cry away all alone. The real problem also is that we only blame others. The correct approach if someone is lonely is that he/she should try to address what is driving friends away,” she goes on to exclaim.
For the moment, Shama is not really looking at revenue from Ab Dil Ki Sun. “This is a long-term game; the best part about web is that you can add viewers over time. What is really pleasant to note is that we have hardly got any negative comments, so our point of view is getting through.”
Looking ahead, Shama, who had earlier acted in films like Prem Aggan and Dhoom Dadakka, wants to do more interesting cinema. “As a producer, I am now working on a feel-good film in which I will act too. I want to do all kind of genres. Then there is a web series as well. I will continue to make more stories for Ab Dil Ki Sun as well.”
Way to go, Shama!!
