Ego brings good actors to a standstill: Shilpa Shirodkar

By Sandeep Sharma

Mumbai, April 29 (IANS) Actress Shilpa Shirodkar, who has been a part of the entertainment industry for over two decades now, feels actors irrespective of their age should be versatile enough to play all types of roles and should not bring up ego problems as it can bring them to a standstill.

Asked whether she is scared of being typecast as a mother on television, Shilpa, who is seen as a possessive mother named Janki in TV show "Silsila Pyar Ka", told IANS on the sidelines of the Star Parivaar Awards 2016: "I’m a mother in real life too. So if I’m cast as a mother on any show, I don’t have any issues about it".

“At 42, I can’t play a 16-year-old. So I feel I am getting realistic roles only. If we talk about an actor’s image, when I was doing songs at the age of 16, then also people called me a ‘sex symbol’. Still after that I did a film like ‘Mrityudand’. I believe you yourself have to be a versatile actor," she added.

Shilpa, who made her debut on the small screen with “Ek Mutthi Aasmaan” in 2013, said that today "the entertainment industry is open to everything”.

“If you as an actor don’t keep your ego as the prime prerogative, there is a lot of good work for everyone. I think ego sometimes brings good actors to a standstill,” she said.

Shilpa, who is the elder sister of former beauty queen Namrata Shirodkar, is best known for her roles in films like “Hum”, “Khuda Gawah” and “Gopi Kishan”.

She believes that “there is no difference between working on TV or films”.

“Television has got scope to act. Movies were always made to look pretty when I was working. Obviously films are also different now because today they are made on characters. They are not sold on one person, which is great. As far as TV is concerned, I feel it’s a female dominated industry and it’s got a lot of scope for women,” she said.

Do daily soaps have any drawbacks?

Shilpa said: “Serials don’t have any drawbacks. Women get a lot of good work to do and also good money. It’s just that she sometimes don’t get enough time to spend with our family. But I feel that I’m genuinely blessed".

“I told the makers that I’ll only work for 10 hours a day and they agreed. In my last show, I worked day-night for about a year and just got 13 days to spend with my family. My daughter is now 12 years old and now I get a lot of time to spend with her,” she added.

Asked about her experience playing Janki on “Silsila Pyar Ka”, which also stars Abhay Vakil and Chhavi Pandey, Shilpa said: “My shooting experience is very hectic as we are coming everyday on TV. I have never played a grey shade character in my life till now".

“Playing Janki is fabulous. I wait to go to the set every day. Since the show started, a lot of people, especially men have come to me and said, ‘You are quite similar to my mother’. So I feel that people like these do exist," she added.

However Shilpa asserted that she is not at all similar to her role.

“I’m not at all similar to Janki. My daughter starts laughing after watching me onscreen. She says ‘mamma you really act well’. But I feel it’s good as it’s a part of my job. I portray this role with a lot of dedication and have worked really hard for it,” she said.

Asked whether she is planning to be a part of any reality show, Shilpa said: “Well at this point of time there is nothing on the cards and I don’t have time. So reality will have to really wait for some time”.

(The writer is in Mumbai at the invitation of Star Plus. Sandeep Sharma can be contacted at sandeep.s@ians.in.)