Actor Shraddha Srinath, who predominantly works in Kannada and Tamil films, has a lot of movies in her kitty. She is debuting in Bollywood with ‘Milan Talkies’. The movie, also starring Ali Fazal, is set to hit the screens on March 15. Also set to release on April 19 is her Telugu sports-drama film ‘Jersey’ alongside Nani.
Apart from these, Shraddha is also working in ‘Nerkonda Paarvai’, the remake of the Bollywood hit ‘Pink’, with actors Ajith and Vidya Balan. She has also been roped in for the
Shivrajkumar-starrer ‘Rustum’.
The ‘U Turn’ actor was recently in the city for an event at Health & Glow, Koramangala to promote the products of BBlunt in the spirit of Women’s Day. The actor had a meet and greet with the winners of a contest organised by the brand and also shared her love for the brand.
In a candid chat with Malini Raghu, Shraddha talks about her acting career, Bollywood debut and more.
Tell us about your journey as an actor...
I finished law school and worked as a lawyer. But during those years, I also took up theatre. Performing became a sort of addiction, and I never stopped. Even when I was working as a lawyer, I was doing double shifts. To someone who doesn’t know my theatre background, my entering into the film industry does seem a little extreme. But, it was a gradual shift from theatre to cinema. I am incredibly grateful for the responses I have received. I was not happy being a lawyer despite the comfort and security it gave me. I took that big leap of doing what I like, and it paid off.
How do you go about choosing your roles?
I was in the audience for a long time, it is now that I have become an actor. I pick the kind of films that I would want to watch. My biggest criteria for a role is that the character should be strong and have something to add to the film. Also as actors, I feel that we have a lot of responsibility. I want to play roles that women will relate to.
You are working in the Tamil remake of ‘Pink’. Is it especially challenging to work in remakes?
We should stop looking at it as a remake and try producing a fresh take on it. I did what felt honest to me; nobody asked me to do what Taapsee Pannu did in ‘Pink’. All I did to get acquainted with the character is read the script over and over again. As Tamil is not my mother tongue, I had to familiarise myself with the language as well.
Did you find any difference between working in the regional film industries and Bollywood?
Nothing is different apart from the language and the scale and reach of the films. As a South Indian actress, most people expected that I would struggle to speak in Hindi, but to me, it wasn’t a challenge since I grew up in the North.
Any advice to upcoming artistes.
Look out for yourself. Learn from every mistake you make and stay real. You need to know why you are entering the industry; that should be a guiding force.