‘PLAYING A SIMPLE PERSON IS TOUGH’
Shraddha Arya on playing tough roles; says she’s known as “an actor”, not just a “pretty face”
I think portraying a simple person is tougher than one with a lot of drama. One has to pull it off in a realistic manner. SHRADDHA ARYA, ACTOR
Shraddha Arya isn’t new to the entertainment industry. The actor has been working since 2004, and has starred in numerous advertisements, done many Telugu and Kannada films, and has even been a part of Hindi films such as Paathshaala (2010) and Nishabd (2007). She has also had a flourishing career in television, with lead roles in television shows such as Main Lakshmi Tere Aangan Ki, Tumhari Paakhi and Dream Girl. Shraddha is currently working in a show produced by Ekta Kapoor. Talking about her various roles, Shraddha says, “I play a good girl in the new show, as usually seen in Hindi serials (laughs). I did play a negative role in Dream Girl, which was interesting, as I had played positive roles in my earlier shows. Having said that, I think portraying a simple person is tougher than a character with a lot of drama. One has to pull it off in a realistic manner, which takes a lot, as the scenes in TV shows are usually animated and dramatic. It’s a challenge to restrict the movement of my hands and face and control my body language.”
It has been a year since her last show, Dream Girl, ended, but Shraddha hasn’t been able to cool off. The actor says, “I hosted a comedyreality show, Mazaak Mazaak Mein, which was my first gig as a host. It was fun. Once it ended, I went on a vacation and came back to shoot for a Punjabi film. After that, I went to Indonesia to promote Tumhari Paakhi, which will air there. And not much later, I got this new show. There was no time to chill.”
Shraddha feels she is recognised for her “acting abilities” than her “beauty”. “There are a million people who are prettier than me. When I meet my peers, I am recognised as an actor and as a performer, rather than just a pretty face.”
It seems to be all work and no play for Shraddha. When asked if she’d ever date an actor, she says, “How can I tell? And why not? I will fall for the personality; the profession won’t matter to me. Moreover, I don’t have time for anything else right now, as there is a lot of work.”