Shafna’s small screen encounter

For the past two years, Shafna hadn’t been very active in films. In fact, she was waiting for a good comeback role. As no promising film offers came, she thought about trying something other than acting. It was then that she was offered Sundari, a tele-serial directed by Bini Jayakrishnan. Shafna gladly accepted to play Gadha, a challenging role.

“Before Sundari, I had received offers from serials. I have been avoiding them as they demanded a long term commitment. However, I found Gadha interesting and hence accepted it. She is a bold woman and is the leading lady in the serial,” says Shafna. It is the first time that Shafna will do a full-fledged role on the small screen. As a child, she had done a small character in a serial.

More than being bold, what Shafna found attractive about the character was its different appearance at various stages in life. “There are makeovers. Gadha is the eldest of three children. At one point, responsibility to take care of the family falls on her head. That is where the makeover begins. It is a performance–oriented character and I believe that this will serve as a good comeback.” She adds, “So far, my audience was students as most of my roles catered to them. With Gadha, I think older viewers too will start liking me. I am already getting a good response as the promos have started airing on the channel,” says Shafna.

Sundari will go on air next Monday on Mazhavil Manorama. It shows at 7 pm on weekdays. The shooting of the first schedule is still going on. According to Shafna, the atmosphere on the sets of serials is entirely different than that of films. “The film set is vast, whereas a serial set is small. I had some difficulties during the initial days. It took me a while to get comfy,” says Shafna.

Will she stop doing films? “No. Cinema has always been my prime aim. It will remain so. I wasn’t doing it as I couldn’t find any interesting roles there. Still I am waiting for a good catch. If I get one, I will definitely do that. The serial’s producers  have given me their consent to act in films while doing Sundari,” concludes Shafna.