Shriya Pilgaonkar considers travelling her soul food. The actor, who recently returned from a threeweek vacation in Spain, says she’s all charged up after the trip and is ready for her work commitments for the rest of the year. “The past six-seven months have been incredibly busy in terms of work. Three of my projects were released and I finished shooting for two more. So, I needed to unwind. In Spain, I had the time of my life with my friends and am back with more energy and enthusiasm. It was a much-deserved vacation for me,” shares Shriya. In a chat, the actress elaborates on her passion for travelling, exploring the OTT space and more...

The Fan actor says that she is an explorer at heart, and adds, “The thrill of being in a new place and meeting new people is incomparable. Since acting is about observation, I feel that travelling is a necessity for me in order to gain perspective. I may take a luxury-filled or laidback trip with my family.”

Shriya adds, “But on solo trips or a holiday with friends, I like to bring out that adventurous side of mine and try offbeat stuff like hiking, scuba diving, cliff jumping etc. Since I am a foodie, discovering a place through its food is also an important part of my travels. Just go with the flow is my travel mantra.”

While her mother, actress Supriya Pilgaonkar encouraged her to go on solo trips, Shriya calls her maternal grandfather Arun Sabnis a travel inspiration. Shriya says, “My grandfather is 83 and has travelled around 95 countries. We have done a few fun trips together, including an unplanned trip once. Since he has so much experience, he ended up becoming my tour guide. Travelling with him is genuinely fun and easy. He maintains travel journals, a habit I have now imbibed too.”

Shriya has been basking in the glory of the success of her recent OTT projects, and believes that this is an exciting time in her career. She adds, “The digital space has turned out to be a real game changer for my career. Along with the critical appreciation, it feels amazing to get the audience’s love. I am flooded with messages.”

That said, she wishes to be seen on the big screen too. “I want to do feature films as well. It’s been a while since I have had a theatrical release. There is a project in the pipeline, a romantic comedy which also features Neena Gupta and Lara Dutta. In addition to that, I am actively seeking international projects,” she says, adding, “I want to establish myself as a global artiste. In international projects, the need for inclusivity and the writing have promoted multi-ethnic casting. It’s good to see characters being written in a way that breaks stereotypes and cliches. To me, the body of Irrfan sir’s work is inspiring. My priority has always been a good script, irrespective of the medium or language. There are different kinds of roles that I am aiming to do now.”

Shriya says that she wants to maintain a balance between doing films and OTT projects. She also says that she’s looking at different ways to put herself out there in order to avoid getting stereotyped. “The recognition I got from OTT shows helped me bag films. I would like to believe that good filmmakers and production houses don’t put actors in a certain bracket. At times, people are quick to stereotype you with respect to your roles. But I think you have to keep putting yourself out there in different ways and roles. That’s the only way to hopefully avoid getting stereotyped,” she says.

Shriya comes from a film family. In fact, her father, actor-director Sachin Pilgaonkar, was the one who directed Shriya in her big screen debut, Ekulti Ek (2013). While the actress agrees that there are perks of coming from a film family, she says she is happy to have established a place in the industry on her

own. “It is indeed a privilege to have parents who are actors. Since they have vast experience in the field, they understand the highs and lows and what it takes to navigate the industry as an actor. They have helped me get stronger from within, and be able to deal with the ups and downs. But I would like to say that it has been a step-by-step journey for me. I have never approached things from an entitled space. I had to work very hard for everything that I have achieved, and I still do. I have carved a path for myself,” says Shriya.

She adds, “I was selected for most of my projects after auditioning for roles. Every actor has their journey. In my case, good work has brought in good work. There have been projects that didn’t work, but I have enjoyed doing those. I give all projects my best, but the outcome and response is something that’s not in my hands.”