‘THERE ARE NO SMALL PARTS ONLY SMALL ACTORS’
Veere Di Wedding star says she looks at a film as a story that appeals to her, and a role as a challenge
Despite being born into a family of seasoned actors — father, Tiku Talsania, a noted character actor and mother, Dipti, a popular theatre artist — Shikha Talsania says she never felt that she was born with special privileges.
After going through her share of struggles to make a mark in the film industry, Shikha got her due recognition when she played one of the four lead roles in Veere Di Wedding. Asked if she is hopeful that she would now be noticed more [to play lead roles], the 32-year-old actor says that’s something one needs to ask the producers and casting directors. “I really like what I do. I strongly believe that there are no small parts, there are small actors. So, I am okay. The length [of my character] doesn’t matter to me. [What matters] is how much fun will it be to play that character, what [will be the] challenges there, what [will] I learn from it and what will be different in it than what I have done previously,” she says.
Shikha made her Bollywood debut with Wake Up Sid (2009) where she played Ranbir Kapoor’s best friend onscreen. Ask her if she is tired of playing the friend kind of roles on-screen, and she exclaims: “Not at all! Firstly, because my characters in, say a, Wake Up Sid or a Veere Di Wedding, have been different. And secondly, I can never be tired of playing any role. I’ll say, ‘Just give them all to me and I will perform everything.’ I am hungry [as an] actor. So anything that I get, which is interesting, challenging and fun, bring it on and I’ll do them all. Yaar, hum log actors hain, hume kuch bhi de do, hum usme variation kar hi denge.”
Quite often, actors try to make a statement with the roles they portray on-screen. Does Shikha ever think in that direction? “I go on a film set to perform and not to set [any] statements. So, I can’t really [imagine a day where] I’ve ever done a part where I intentionally went out and looked for something and said, ‘Hey, this is the statement I want to make’. I just look at a film as a good story, and the character I’m playing as something challenging.”
I can never be tired of playing any role. I’ll say, ‘Just give them all to me and I will perform everything.’ Hum log actors hain, hume kuch bhi de do, hum usme variation kar hi denge. SHIKHA TALSANIA ACTOR