Shahid actress Shalini Vatsa
Actress Shalini Vatsa, known for her work in films like "Shahid" and "Gurgaon", might not choose the typical kind of commercial film to act in but says she is not against any kind of cinema. "I am not against any kind of cinema. Personally, I have really enjoyed watching some of the 'masala' commercial films.
"I feel that these compartments are slowly merging or dissolving as we have seen that the audience has been responding to good stories," Shalini, who featured in "a fairly commercially successful" film called "Peepli Live", said. She will be next seen in the thriller film "Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal", based on four women and their story around kidnapping a man.
"A new opportunity coming my way means appreciation to me for the work that I have done till now. As far as 'Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal' is concerned - the script, the idea and the theme totally resonated with me," she said.
The film provides a strong solution to the problem of rape. Does she think that by kidnapping the culprit, torturing him physically and mentally is the way to set an example?
"'Tottaa...' is a response to the jingoistic solutions to patriarchy. Through the story, it opens up a space for discussion and dialogue on these matters which is of crucial importance today," said Shalini.
On her character, she said: "Vibha Sharma is a social media planner. She is an ordinary woman, living a simple life, trying to look after herself and her family. In the story, she finds herself in an extraordinary situation which is actually fairly common for a lot of women.
"This incident makes her take on an extraordinary journey. Like most women, she has a mind of her own, a strong will but also the ability to go all the way with it."
She is also part of the first Indian Netflix original series titled "Sacred Games".
"For me, there was no switch as far as acting is concerned. I put in the same effort that I put in any and every project in any medium," she said.
"In fact, since it is a longer format the scope of the story is much enhanced. Also, the fact that it has a very wide reach globally, is exciting. I had a lot of fun doing 'Sacred Games' and I am looking forward to work on the future seasons," she added about the digital project that also stars Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
(With IANS Inputs)
