The grass is always green on the other side! I have come to believe this over some years. In fact, when we are on the other side of the table we see things differently, but there is always another side to a story also. Recently, when I spoke to actress Shubhaavi Choksey, her side to her of stardom burst many bubbles for me. Honestly looking at her life and the industry and the many years she has spent here through her lens did change my way of looking at it too. A force to reckon with in the TV industry, Shubhaavi has been a part of shows like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Bade Acche Lagte Hain, Kasautii Zindagi Kay 2, etc. And her latest outing has been Bade Acche Lagte Hain 2 and the negative character has only brought her praises, but you know what, just this doesn’t define her. A long and amazing journey does.
So when we spoke I asked her what have been the changes she has witnessed over all this while and she said…
Many things have changed. The look has changed, technicalities have changed, it differs from shows and formats to formats. As far as acting goes, I think people have become subtler, the way of working also is not as crazy as it used to be before. People are going out of the box with certain projects, there is quite a lot of change.
Talking about being a part of cult shows and now sequels, Shubhaavi explains…
I have always done what I feel like doing and fortunately I have had directors and actors who always enhance my performances. I have been inculcated with the idea of competing with myself, so if it’s a new show or a sequel, I genuinely don’t think about who has done what in the past. I see at how can I make it better every day. Thrill should be there in any actor whether they are doing a cult show or not. For me it’s always been the character. Thankfully I have been fortunate to get shows that became a cult over the period of time, but as an actor I have played negative, positive, grey characters, that is very interesting and intriguing for me. More than being a part of a very big show, playing a good character matters to me. I always say that even if I am a part of big show but not have much to deliver I wouldn’t be happy, so I am happy that both have happened with me.
Well, with such a rich experience I asked Shubhaavi about how social media has changed the game and she replied…
Thanks to social media, today people can differentiate between me and the character I play. This didn’t happen back then, because there were not so many portals or interviews where I would see anything about my personal or professional life. Now with the whole scenario changing, people can identify the character. I often get comments that people hate Nandini Kapoor, but they love the way I perform. The reel and real perception is differentiated and that is amazing. I love the fact that people compliment me despite me playing a negative character.
Sharing her thoughts on the skepticism that steps in when playing a character in a sequel, Shubhaavi commented…
As an actor I will always be skeptical about what I am doing. I am human, there are days when I have a backlog or not feeling well, or a personal issue, there is a baggage. That can come across in my work and that is my fight to overcome it. I am skeptical many times especially when doing a big scene because I always want to try something different. As an actor I have always been forthcoming to skepticism.
I must say, I totally love the grace she has in her performances, but you know what? Shubhaavi wishes to experiment with roles, she wants to play a lot many things. Sharing that list with me she adds…
I want to do everything as far as entertainment industry goes. Since I have never romanced anybody on screen I would love to that, even stunts for that matter. I would love to do comedy, and many kind of roles. I love to take up challenges.
And we love watching you entertain us on the small screen. Honestly, Shubhaavi has carved her own niche in the TV world and I only want to see her ace it more and more on that front. Here’s wishing her lots of good luck for the days to come.