She has proven her acting prowess with acclaimed commercial projects, down south, like U Turn, Urvi and Vikram Vedha. And now, at 27, Shraddha Srinath’s kick-starting the year with bigger innings – a Bollywood debut as the leading lady in Milan Talkies, Tigmanshu Dhulia’s next. The flick, which will see Shraddha paired opposite Ali Fazal is centered around a rather interesting topic – the unfortunate plight of single screen theatres in the era of multiplexes.
That and a couple of interesting films in the pipeline are slated for release down south; Shraddha is juggling with lots in her hands— and clearly loves the rush. In a tete-a-tete with Bengaluru Chronicle, she gets chatty with us...
While B-town is considered as the way forward for most artistes down south, Shraddha informs that she was never overwhelmed by the idea. “I was never obsessed with (the idea of making an entry into) Bollywood. I don’t ever remember being awe-struck about it,” she smilingly states. The shooting for Milan Talkies is slated to start sometime in the mid of March. Hailing from an army background, playing the role of a UP girl with a rustic Hindi dialect was challenging but not impossible for Shraddha. “ I play the role of a small town girl, who is street smart and willing to fight the odds that come her way. She doesn’t look at her humble roots and lack to exposure as a handicap. The rich UP Hindi dialect was hard, but owing to my defense background, my hindi is pretty decent. More than thinking whether shades of the character are reflective of my real personality, I’m hoping to be the character than just merely play the part.”
Sans an illustrious filmi lineage, Shraddha has been able to bag interesting assignments that she has done complete justice to. So, it comes as little surprise to note how the quality of work and the depth of scripts matter to her – more than the cast, language or the frills around it. “It is not often that scripts are written specially for actresses like me. So, when an acquaintance referred my name to Tigmanshu and when things started falling in place, I jumped at the offer and auditioned right away. I have a lot of respect for Tigmanshu’s work and have been a fan of his works in the past. There were a few changes back and forth but I’m excited now!,” states Shraddha. Shraddha is also all praises for Ali Fazal’s work, her co-star in the film. “I haven’t met him yet, but I have watched some of his works and I’m glad I will be working with a bunch of talented people,” she enthuses.
Unlike most actors, Shraddha is in no mood to put her projects in the south in the backseat. “I love the idea of juggling and being busy. I’m almost done shooting for Godhra. Just need to wind up a song, and that’s about it. A Telegu flick is also slated for release sometime in March or April. My hands are full, and I will be juggling between South and Bollywood at least in the near future,” she signs off.
