Audience is rejecting okayish kind of work: Shraddha Das on star kids being TROLLED

Shraddha Das’ latest project Search: The Naina Murder Case got good reviews on Jio Hotstar. She is playing the role of Raksha Patil in the series. The actress said she went for an audition, and was selected the very next day. Shraddha Das says she felt elated when she went in for the reading with the rest of the cast. “The producer, director, story everything was just top-notch. This was a dream project where I got to do a performance-oriented role,” says Shraddha Das.

Shraddha Das made her debut in 2008 with a Telugu movie, Siddu From Sikakulam. She said she has never felt the pressure as she has never been without a project in her career. “I kept on doing films, shows in different languages throughout my career. This is why I never felt any sense of desperation. If you want a meaty role in a Hindi project, you have to audition, even if you have a lot of work behind you,” she says.

She admits that her work in multiple languages kept her in a comfortable position. Talking about OTT, she praised the medium saying that it has changed the game for actresses. “It has changed clichés, and the particular image an actress of a certain age had to carry. Here, there used to be people who did not know anything about acting but kept on getting roles. The exposure of OTT has made it like, “Acting aana zaroori hai”. People are not foolish anymore and demand better content/performances,” she opines.

Shraddha Das on the term Pan-India

We asked her if the term Pan-India actually carries some real weightage given she was working down South all through these years. “I would say it does have some weightage. Earlier, South films only released in the South. They fared very well there. When Pushpa 2 is promoted as a Pan-India movie there is a different kind of hype around it.”

She says that people in Mumbai identify her from her dubbed South movies. Shraddha Das said they did good theatre business only down South. However, they have watched more of her South films dubbed in Hindi than her actual Bollywood ones. “There is a craze around Pan-India termed and films if made well can really succeed,” she says.

Star kids facing endless trolling on social media

While she agreed that social media scrutiny has amplified, she said that fight for outsiders is always harder. “You have to come prepared for the first chance. No one will make us stand anywhere if we do not know how to act or are not blessed with good looks. We are settled before we are allowed to settle down. Today, both star kids and outsiders are scrutinized. No audience is kind towards okayish kind of work. You need to know your job insider or outsider,” she opines.

You have to come prepared for the first chance. No one will make us stand anywhere if we do not know how to act or are not blessed with good looks. We are settled before we are allowed to settle down. Today, both star kids and outsiders are scrutinized. No audience is kind towards okayish kind of work.

- Shraddha Das to India Forums

OTT medium providing everyone a fair platform

Praising the OTT platforms, she says it is a new ray of hope for people who do not have backing. She feels it gives opportunities to young actors, writers and producers. Everyone gets a chance, which is otherwise unavailable. Shraddha Das said, “We only knew about four to five top stars, production houses or directors when we began. The OTT platforms have encouraged new talent, and also helped in resurgence of old actors. Female artistes have benefitted immensely from this. We can see Shefali Shah headlining a show like Delhi Crime. Such quality of acting and story-telling can be seen today. No one would make such shows if we had only films for theatres,” she said.

She says the makers of Search: The Naina Murder Case did not cut any scenes of the actor. “Whatever we filmed, was retained. This was one of the best experiences for me,” she gushes.