‘Only erotic roles came my way after Hate Story 2 and I rejected them’

Actor Surveen Chawla has steadily emerged as a popular name in both the television and film industry with shows such as Kahin Toh Hoga and Kasauti Zindagi Kii. Her list of films include Hate Story 2 (2014) and Parched (2015).

Hate Story 2 became a commercial success giving Surveen the kind of boost her career needed. However, the film also typecast her in a bold image and thereafter she was offered many erotic roles.

“You always dream for the highest, and wish to keep doing great work. But sometimes, you are not left with too many choices. It’s sad that in the industry, people have notions, and they stereotype and typecast you,” says the 33-year-old actor.

The film Hate Story 2 was marketed as an erotica and a revenge thriller. Surveen feels this strategy unfortunately, narrowed her options as an actor. “What happened was, for a year and a half, similar kind of roles keeping in mind the theme of erotica, came my way. But, I turned down everything. People who saw the film knew what it was, whereas who didn’t, just took it to be an erotica,” she adds.

After a while, Surveen took the decision to not just focus on films. “When this continued for some time, I thought I should make a deviation from my path and do other great work. It’s okay if I do work on other mediums, too. As an outsider, if you’re lucky, you’re lucky. If you are not, you have to find your way. If you are true to your craft and enjoy what you are doing, eventually you will get there; it might just take slightly longer,” says Surveen, who was recently seen in a web series, and has also acted in the finite thriller show 24 with Anil Kapoor.

PHOTO: YOGEN SHAH Surveen Chawla was recently seen in a web series