Shikha Talsania is in happy space. She is currently basking in the success of the recently-released second season of the web series, Potluck, on SonyLiv. The series is a celebration of interpersonal relationships and the power of understanding each other, especially in times of crisis.
Shikha plays Prerna, the youngest of the Shashtri family. “She’s a badass and a bit of a brat who is not taken seriously by her family. She is always posturing and trying to prove herself. Prerna is a writer and is trying to write a book on the only subject she knows best — her family. The show follows the quirky, modern, middle-class Shashtri family,” she says.
Shikha rose to fame with the movies Veere Di Wedding and Coolie No 1. Talking about her journey, she shares, “It’s been a roller-coaster ride, an adventure. Like any journey, it’s had its ebbs and flows, but it’s been paved with big waves of difficulties. However, the consistent theme has been meeting a lot of wonderful people and having a lot of fun.”
The actress has worked on both mediums — films and OTT. Talking about her experience of working on both platforms, Shikha says, “The differentiation lies in the time you give to each project, the stories, and the characters you are playing. But, honestly, for me, whether it’s being on stage or behind the camera, filming anything on OTT or the East or even on YouTube, or whatever it may be, at the end of the day, I’m a performer. I’ve been performing in front of the camera or on stage and even in the living room for my friends and family. I love to perform and I don’t see any difference. I enjoy it all.”
So, what kind of roles would she like to play? “I’d like to be surprised. I don’t think any actor would say that they don’t want to play a certain character. They would all say the same thing: that they want to play all the characters that they haven’t already played. If I had to talk about immediate thoughts and the immediate future, it would be lovely to do a romantic comedy,” she avers.
Of late, there is good women-centric content being made. Sharing her take on that, Shikha shares, “I think they were wonderful characters earlier as well. However, we have a whole lot more now, which is amazing. It's a welcome change and it keeps growing from here. Regardless of gender, sexual orientation, the way you look... at the end of the day, we're all trying to tell a story – whether it’s a director, a writer or an actor or anybody else, we are trying to depict human emotions or the human experience. So, let's just make lovely and entertaining stories.
Over the past few years, the OTT has also come under scanner for the need for censorship. But, that hasn’t been implemented yet. “There are different experiences for different people, right? So, if you want to be entertained, if you want to walk without judgment, just watch it, then decide whether it's for you or not, and then decide whether you're entertained or not. You can even get entertained through a reel nowadays, so the options are many,” she adds.
On the work front, Shikha’s film Sanaa is being shown at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. “Hopefully, it will be released later this year,” she adds. “There’s also Satyaprem Ki Katha, directed by Sameer Vidwan, which has a few days of shoot left and will hopefully be released soon. I am also doing a play, Yeh Shaadi Nahi Ho Sakti, which was staged on February 19. Furthermore, there is a new Netflix web series and a play,” she signs off.
