Being the daughter of proficient performers like Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar, Shriya Pilgaonkar has at all times been decided to show her price as an actor. She is aware of that she’s going to at all times be in comparison with her dad and mom and therefore has at all times set a excessive customary for herself. The younger actress has had a unbelievable 12 months in 2022, with exhibits like Guilty Minds and Broken News making the viewers root for her. In her most up-to-date sequence, Taaza Khabar, co-starring with Bhuvan Bam, she performs a intercourse employee. Shriya’s efficiency is each convincing and highly effective. Talk concerning the present and she or he beams, “I was ecstatic that the writers and directors saw me in a new light. I want people, especially our directors, producers and writers, to believe that I can play a variety of roles, not just as a performer but also as a look.” She chuckles and claims that her pals have hyped her up by claiming she is the most effective a part of the present.
She expresses gratitude for the flood of compliments however she is adamant about not being stereotyped, which is why enjoying Madhu within the present felt so refreshing. Says she, “It’s important to me not to be stereotyped. Taking on complex roles is a step in that direction because I know I won’t get slotted if I experiment with each outing.” Shriya has at all times been meticulous in her preparation for her roles. Given that actors have at all times said that when approached for such roles, they go to red-light districts for his or her analysis, we’re curious if Shriya adopted swimsuit. Her reply is sort of stunning as she selected to not. “There are two reasons for this. I didn’t feel safe going into the red-light district because of the COVID restrictions. However, unlike other depictions, you don’t see much of Madhu’s life in the brothel. What you see is more of her personality. It is handled with great respect and without prejudice. I read a lot of interviews that were available online. They showed me what living a life like this can do to a person.”
Madhu is likely one of the most layered characters Shriya has performed. She is robust but susceptible. Having lived a life filled with hardships, she might need grow to be adverse and suicidal however Madhu chooses to be constructive as an alternative and emerges as a survivor. She explains, “She chooses a life of dignity and respect, and that’s what makes the character so special. I think approaching the character without judgement was important in order to essay her truthfully. As an actor, I will do that for every role which comes my way. Because I can’t be judging my characters. If I do that, I will not be able to perform authentically.”
Both Guilty Minds and Taaza Khabar, her final two tasks, have helped her stretch the bounds of her versatility. Thus, there have been loads of constructive evaluations coming in, which could really feel rewarding and overwhelming on the identical time. She talks about how evaluations positively matter to her in sure methods. She narrates how her mom at all times advised her to get higher quite than telling her whether or not she is sweet or dangerous. And that’s what is effective. When requested about which one among her roles her dad and mom would decide as their favorite, she says, “They enjoyed Taaza Khabar a lot because they’d never have believed I could pull off playing a sex worker. And to see me doing it differently from what has been done before by other actors has made them happy. But in Guilty Minds, I had a whole lot to do because it was out and out about my character Kashaf. Thus, it’ll always be special for them.”
It’s not simply the bouquets which are flying her method, she’s obtained her share of brickbats too. “Everything you do is not going to be perfect,” she factors out.” There will probably be flaws. I solely comply with evaluations that I do know are usually not written only for humour, to get a response, or to be clickbait. I learn writers whom I do know are real; and who I do know don’t have any agendas. Even in the event that they haven’t given me a constructive evaluate, I nonetheless learn them as a result of I imagine it strengthens me.”
Anyone following Shriya on social media would concentrate on the shut relationship she shares along with her dad and mom. Recalling her childhood, Shriya reminisces concerning the wonderful instances she spent along with her father, who used to make her watch a various vary of movies only for the sheer love of cinema. “Dad would always show me a lot of films. We used to watch a lot of animation movies, like The Lion King and Toy Story. He would also show me Guru Dutt and Dev Anand films, as well as English classics like Where Eagles Dare.”
In comparability to what one would possibly anticipate from a celeb little one, her childhood was fairly blah. She laughs as she remembers how she was by no means taken to fancy Bollywood events. She admits to being a nerd at coronary heart with a robust curiosity in lecturers and sports activities. She’s additionally a skilled classical dancer, which is what she thinks made her join with the actor inside her. “I realised that dancing has everything to do with your face only after my training as a Kathak dancer, which requires a lot of abhinay. In that process, I connected with the actor in me. I have never approached work in an entitled way because my parents are in the field.” Talking concerning the inventive bug which bit her early on, she shares, “I have always had a performer’s instinct. I was always comfortable on stage when we had dramas in school or elocution contests. I happily took that leadership charge.”
Her huge Bollywood debut was with Shah Rukh Khan in Fan. And she will get all giddy as she says, “I am one of his heroines.” On asking her to elaborate on some particular moments shared with the famous person, she provides, “SRK thinks as a philosopher and that is how he approaches his work. I remember him saying, ‘No matter what part you play, whether it is positive or negative, whatever part it is, play it with love’.”
Quietly happy with the sorts of tasks she’s been doing and the popularity they’re yielding her, she waxes philosophical when requested whether or not she craves stardom. “Stardom is also a state of mind,” she observes. “You need to believe that you are a star. Today, my definition of being in a position of choice is something that actors constantly struggle with at various stages. It is also important to have a connection with your audience, when they feel that they are one of yours…when you are able to connect with your audience.” She does have a knack for writing and needs to pursue it. She believes there is no such thing as a proper or improper time to take that plunge. But she appears ahead to increasing her horizons when she is certain she’s prepared for it.