Shalabh Anand Bajpai (DNA; September 15, 2019)

It sometimes takes years for a newbie to get that big break in Bollywood. But not for Sahher Bammba, whose launch pad is Sunny Deol’s Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, opposite the actor-filmmaker’s son Karan Deol. The small-town girl moved to Mumbai from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, just eight months before signing this film. “This is what we call destiny,” Sahher smiles, as we catch up with her for a tête-à-tête. The debutante talks to us about her mantra to not only survive but also succeed in the industry and more.

How it began
The young actress says that she always wanted to be an actor but had no scope to follow her dreams in Shimla. After completing school, when she told her parents that she wanted to move to Mumbai, they were sceptical. “The city was new to me, unlike Delhi where we have family and friends. But I got admission in Jai Hind College in Travel & Tourism and shifted here. I was confused about how I would commute and whom I would talk to, etc., but I managed everything somehow,” she states. Showbiz projects didn’t happen immediately, and a friend suggested that she audition for ads. That didn’t work out either, which made Sahher participate in a beauty pageant, which she went on to win. “After that, I received a call for Pal Pal... I had four rounds of auditions. It was the longest audition I ever gave. The last leg was directed by Sunny sir,” she recalls. Sahher admits that her family is conservative since they belong to a small town and they initially had a mixed reaction to her bagging the film. “When I told them about the offer, they were shocked at first but also relieved that I was achieving what I wanted to. So, as time passed, they got supportive,” she informs.

Not sidelined
The Gadar actor’s directorial for a debut is a big thing, of course, but Sunny’s sonny Karan (Rocky) is also being launched with the same film. Wasn’t she sceptical of getting the raw deal because he would be the priority? “No,” Sahher says emphatically, adding, “In fact, in spite of belonging to a non-filmy background, I was chosen by Sunny sir and cast opposite his son. This itself was a big deal for me. I thank him for that. The thought of being sidelined never came to my mind.”

Tough conditions to shoot
The movie, which sees Deol Jr as an adventure guide has been filmed in extreme weather conditions and locations. Sahher observes that as an audience, sequences seem so easy to film but that’s never the case. “Belonging to Himachal Pradesh, I’ve visited many places but I hadn’t been to the areas where we were shooting. I never imagined such locations could even exist and I was scared about how I would do the scene,” she confesses. “But by then, I was aware of how Sunny sir would handle a situation for Rocky and me. So, we trusted him blindly.” There was also the belief that if she gave her 100 per cent now, it would pay later that kept her going.

Films in all genres
After the release, Sahher has more projects lined up but it’s all in the pipeline and nothing is concrete yet. What kinds of movies would she be interested in being part of? “As an audience, I love watching rom-com. As an actor. I want to try as many genres I can,” she signs off.

Actor Shikha Talsania on inspiring people through her Veere Di Wedding character Meera, and exploring every opportunity to perform
Anuka Roy (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 1, 2018)

Not many people remember that actor Shikha Talsania made her debut in 2009 with Wake Up Sid, as Ranbir Kapoor’s chubby friend, Laxmi. It was her turn as Meera, in the recent grosser Veere Di Wedding (VDW), that made people finally take note of Talsania. “Even though my role (as Laxmi) was appreciated and I got a lot of offers, they were all one-dimensional ‘fat girl’ roles — the character was either hungry or horny. And that didn’t interest me at all,” says Talsania, 32. After Sid, Talsania acted in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji and Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children, but it was 2016 that proved to be a turning point in her career.

That was when she was offered VDW. “Rhea [Kapoor, one of the producers of VDW] and I have known each other since Wake Up Sid. She was an assistant director while Karan Boolani was Chief AD on that film,” says Talsania. “Boolani suggested my name for Veere Di and casting director Mukesh Chhabra called me in for a screen test. Then I read the script, fell in love with it and met Shashanka [Ghosh, the director] and Rhea. That’s how it all began.”

When her ‘bold’ Meera stepped out in a swimsuit in VDW it inspired many full-bodied women. But that wasn’t Talsania’s intention. “It’s lovely that people find it inspiring. However, for me, I was just playing my character and trying to stay true to it,” she says, matter-of-factly. “If I go to a beach, I would wear a swimming costume. But that’s my confidence and my acceptance of my body.” Talsania believes one needs to be fit to feel happy from within, and well-being is not necessarily related to losing weight. Talsania has embarked on a fitness journey herself after her first film, by eating right and exercising. But she did it for herself, and not as a result of any pressure.

Although Talsania has a strong film connect — her father is veteran actor Tiku Talsania, who is known for his comic timing and wide variety of roles — she has never used her father’s connections to land work. “I’m extremely proud of what my father has achieved, but that is his journey. I believe that my journey will always be my own,” she says. But she hopes to emulate the energy and excitement her father brings to each of his roles, during her journey. When Talsania expressed her desire to become an actor, however, her parents were concerned. As entertainment industry veterans themselves, they sat her down and talked about the ‘erratic’ nature of the profession and gently suggested she explore other things.

And she did give other careers a go. At different times, Talsania has worked as a line producer, celebrity manager and post-poduction for reality shows such as Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Indian Idol. But the acting bug had already bitten her.

Talsania’s tryst with acting began in college. “I was in Jai Hind. And, I was offered these two plays — The Graduate, directed by Divya Palat, and a Gujarati play — and it was a great experience,” says Shikha. Her first professional acting gig was Silly Point Production’s Four Square and, since then, she has worked with various theatre groups like Rage Productions and The Patchworks Ensemble. But the production company she has been associated with for the longest is Akvarious Productions. Talsania was a part of the company’s popular play, Internal Affairs. “They have played a huge part in my life. I was introduced to the world of theatre by them and got to meet and collaborate with so many fantastic people,” she says animatedly. This year, Talsania co-directed an Akvarious production called Dekh Behen, with an all-female cast and crew. Set against the backdrop of a big fat Delhi wedding — much like VDW — the play received rave reviews and has completed over 25 shows in less than five months. Asked to pick between films and theatre, Talsania says: “They are very different. For a performer, I don’t think it matters. Both platforms give you a different high. It’s like asking a mother to choose between two of her children.”

Now that she’s found her groove in entertainment, Talsania wants to try it all. “Actor for life. TV, theatre, web series, movies — bring it on. If tomorrow someone says put on prosthetics and play an old lady or become a man, I will happily do it,” she says. “That’s the fun of being an actor.”