Talktime
Shikha Talsania
She debuted as laxmi in Wake Up Sid & went on to give a powerful performance as Meera in Veere Di Wedding. Talsania talks to MUSBA HASHMI about carving a niche for herself in Bollywood without taking advantage of being the daughter of a well-known actor
From laxmi in Wake Up Sid to Meera in Veere Di Wedding, how has the journey beenIJ
It has been a long and hard journey. I had a great time meeting a lot of amazing people from the industry. It was a long wait to get a movie like Veere Di Wedding and work alongside with Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor and Swara Bhaskar. This journey was a test of patience. It was a test of choosing the correct project and do what you really like. To get a lead in a film where Kareena, Sonam and Swara were also involved and be a part of the project where Rhea kapoor was actually the queen (producer), was an amazing experience.
Did you ever take leverage of being the daughter of Tiku TalsaniaIJ
When I started my acting career, except from my close friends, nobody knew that I’m Tiku Talsania’s daughter. He didn’t make any calls for me. I went for auditions by myself and was it was enough to carve a niche for myself.
What do you have to say about your father’s performances in various filmsIJ
I look up to my father and am proud of him for the kind of admiration, love and respect he has accumulated through his hard work. We both had very different journeys; he had his and I had mine.
What struggles have you been throughIJ
From creating your own path in the industry, being typecast and shoots getting cancelled, I went through the regular challenges that come in the way of an actor.
Which is the most challenging film for youIJ
Preparing for Meera’s speech on feminism in Veere Di Wedding was the most challenging part. We were shooting for a song— Pappi le loon, it was a dance number and I had never shot for a song before so it was a bit out of my comfort zone. I was nervous dancing with Sonam and Kareena. After a few takes, Kareena turned back to me and said: ‘I am excited about this’. Then I poured everything in my performance till the shot was over and okayed.
What kinds of role are you looking forward to in futureIJ
I’m open to all kinds of roles. Being an actor, I just want to perform and bring forth my talent through every opportunity that I get. Therefore, being choosy about roles will be unfair.
Was there a moment when you thought of quittingIJ
I have been fortunate to have collaborated with so many fantastic people in my journey. So I never had that moment when I wished to quit a project.
What does success mean to youIJ
It is to be able to live my life the way I want it, to be recognised and get appreciated for all the hard work that I put in my work and just be happy.
How was your experience working for theatre, film and digitalIJ
As a performer, every media that you work on, be it stage, film or digital, has a different side and all together a different experience. I was just happy that I was getting to perform because that is what I love to do. I love to play and explore different characters and this is what all the different mediums allowed me to do. Irrespective of the medium, people hire me just as an actor. It is fun working in different forms of media.
Good, bad and ugly of trolling.
The good part is that most of the times it is amusing. It really works to understand what people think and put out on social media and half of them doesn’t have any information or filter whatsoever. Ugly is when you start judging people and start making perceptions and threats about them without even thinking about it.
What are your upcoming projectsIJ
I will be back on stage with a whole lot of shows that I was already a part of. There is a music video coming up but it will take a while. There are other interesting things in the list but they are yet to be confirmed.