Extraordinarily talented , Shraddha Srinath, who divides her time among Telugu, Tamil and Hindi cinema, is currently topping the OTT charts with her Tamil gaming thriller The Game: You Never Play Alone. She speaks to Subhash K Jha about the experience of being part of the series, playing this character and more.
Congratulations, The Game: You Never Play Alone, your OTT debut is, a big success
Thank you. You know, the show had so many more interesting subplots, a lot of scope to perform, the potential of it being my very first OTT, my debut on OTT, all of these things put together. I really loved the narration, I really loved it. That’s pretty much how I got the web series. I was sent the synopsis of the show and it seemed interesting on paper. I also knew the names behind it, I knew there was Applause Entertainment as producer. I knew Rajesh M Selva was directing and this itself kind of reinforced my confidence in the project.
Did you accept the project on the basis of the synopsis?
No, no, I went ahead and asked for a narration and I realized that the synopsis was just a tip of the iceberg.
Is it difficult to find projects like The Game: You Never Play Alone where the entire plot revolves around the female hero?
To find an entire series that is based on my character, no, it’s not hard to find, you know, I do get, I do frequently receive synopsis of shows and films in which I play the central part, it’s not hard to find, but what is hard to find is a team that will execute it well and a story that is convincing, you know, that kind of checks all the boxes that I have.
So you are not short of challenging roles?
Yeah, there are very many well-meaning, well-intentioned makers out there, but how many of them can pull off, you know, a female-centric plot and bring it out for people to watch, that’s the tricky part. But yeah, I’m glad that this kind of, like I said, ticked all my boxes and eventually it got bought over by Netflix, which was a huge feather in our cap.
How relatable was the part of digital game-maker who is targeted viciously?
I found certain aspects of Kaavya’s life very relatable and by that I mean the part where she is a public figure, she’s very much in the limelight, she uses her social media to share tidbits about her personal life and work and receives a lot of love and a lot of hate also in return. I found that quite relatable as a public figure and also as a woman, you know, since we are constantly scrutinized and, I mean, mercilessly sometimes kind of spoken to or criticized, so I found that quite relatable. What was hard, I mean, what was hard for me to imagine, since I’ve not gone through that kind of targeted attack, that obviously becomes something that I need to sort of work on and that was my approach.
Was it difficult for you to leave behind the character’s trauma when you went home every day?
I’m very good at compartmentalizing. And also, I think my approach to acting is quite definite. I found a method that works best for me without intruding into my personal life or into my, you know, into my mental sort of space. So yeah, I would leave Kavya back at work and go back home. And, you know, I’m very good at switching on and off.
Why do we see so little of you?
Yes, this is something I hear very often about how people don’t get to see me enough and how, you know, I’m looked at as picky. Yes, you can call it picky, but I just believe that I am someone who would not settle for anything lesser than what I’m worthy and deserving of. You know, there’s a hundred films being made. There are 10 good films being made. All the 10 films are not being offered to me. Let’s say I’m getting 40 films out of them. You know, like 36 are very mediocre.
What are your criteria for accepting a film?
I have a checklist. I expect a good script, good writing, a character that has a good arc. I’m expect a good crew, a like-minded team. I will not do something for the sake of it. I will not compromise. It’s not like I’m looking for all 10 things on my checklist, but let at least a majority of them match. You know, I’m not, I’m not asking for heavens and stars and skies. I’m asking for some basic things and, uh, you can either say yes to everything that comes your way and thereby be seen a lot in on screen, you know, constantly promoting constantly on, on posters, on, on the streets. Or you can be picking and choosing what feels right to you. And to me, my work is very sacred. I don’t take it for granted. I think my one life goal is to have a filmography that is something that I can look back on with pride. It’s not like I haven’t made mistakes. I think there have been a couple, maybe one or two questionable films, but like I have always learned from the films I pick .I’m not picky. I just don’t settle for less.
Do you see The Game: You Never Play Alone as a new phase in your career?
I definitely see the game as a new phase in my career. It’s my first web series. I’m exploring the space and it is currently trending on Netflix on number one. And if as a female led show, if I can deliver a successful web series, I think that opens a lot of avenues for me and it, it builds confidence in me as an actor and how bankable I can be. Of course, the show does have a lot of other important characters. But being the face of the show and the show doing well, tthat’s a huge thing.
What next?
You will see me in a Tamil film Aryan with Vishnu Vishal that releases on the 31st of October. I play a journalist in that. She’s a very strong headed alpha female. And a very intuitive sort of person who takes her job sometimes way more personally than one should. Um, so there’s that. And there’s also another movie in Tamil called Bro Code that’s with Jayam Ravi, SJ Surya. I’m not going to tell you much about the character or the film, but that’s going to be a joy ride.
