Shikha Talsania on accompanying dad Tiku Talsania to sets as a child: ‘I used to get bored out of my mind’

Shikha Talsania talks to Hindustan Times about her new web show Potluck season 2 and her next film, Satyaprem Ki Katha. We discover there is a lot more too her than just being an actor.

Shikha Talsania has come a long way after carving her own path ever since her 2018 film Veere Di Wedding. The actor has carefully chosen characters which range from playing a devoted housewife in Jahaan Chaar Yaar to a writer in her upcoming show Potluck season 2. She, who has spent ample amount of time behind the camera before becoming a full-time actor, believes that one needs to try everything to find the best version of oneself. Shikha is also a doodler and dreams of holding an exhibition of her art pieces one day.

Shikha Talsania will now be seen in Potluck 2.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Shikha opened up about the concept of her new show Potluck 2 on SonyLIV and also her upcoming film Satyaprem Ki Katha. She also shares about her learnings from her actor father, Tiku Talsania. Excerpts:

Tell us about your role in Potluck 2.

First, I would urge everyone to watch the first season. It’s a story about the everyday life of a modern, urban, middle-class family – the Shashtris. I play the youngest of the Shashtri siblings. She is a writer and is writing about her quirky family – the only thing she knows a lot about. She is little bit of a brat but very logical and practical and has a very good heart.

Why is the show named Potluck?

You know how life goes on with nuclear families in a city. It is difficult to meet very often and get together as a family. In the last season, me and my parents get an idea to do something together since we were in the same city and I suggest the potluck. Its fun to get something from your own houses and is a lovely way to bond.

Do you still get roles on the basis of your appearance or see a change from the time of Veere Di Wedding?

A lot has changed over time, not just for me but as a collective awareness. I have been very lucky and I have worked very hard to pick characters which are very different from each other. Jaha Chaar Yaar, Potluck 2, Kudi No 1, Ye Shaadi Nahi Ho Sakti are all different. I think its lovely now, to be in a time where we are getting characters which are thrilling and nuanced.

You will now be seen in Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani-starrer Satyaprem Ki Katha. Tell us more.

We are a family of Gajraj Rao and Supriya Pathak, who have two children, me and Kartik. Rest you will have to see when the trailer comes out.

You are the daughter of noted actor Tiku Talsania. Did it help you in getting work?

I don’t think so, I don’t know of it. You will have to ask people who cast me. I do know when I decided to be an actor, it was not due to anything like this. I often joke that Aram Nagar is my drama school. When I told them that I wanted to act, they said that I have to carve my own path.

While growing up you must have accompanied your father to sets sometimes. What is that one quality you have picked up from him?

I didn’t go to set that often, it was only when both my parents were busy and there was no one to babysit me. I used to get bored out of my mind when I accompanied my dad on sets a few times. They would take this angle and that angle over and over again. It was better when they were doing theatre. From the time you get ready till the play gets over, its magical. I did enjoy that a lot. The one thing I picked from my parents is ethics – a very strong and sincere work ethic which is to keep your head down and keep moving ahead. If you find some wonderful people along the way, make an effort to keep them close to you. And have fun while doing it.

Did you ever want to do anything else other than acting?

I think everybody in India wants to be in films. It’s a part of our culture. When you are a child, you think everybody’s parents are actors because that’s what your parents did. I thought that was the only job in the world. Then I realised that I could be a teacher or a doctor but for that, I had to study a lot for that which I couldn’t. I thought of many possible careers and when I left college, the skill set I had actually acquired was production. I got an opportunity and I worked behind the scenes of different television fiction shows. And then out of the blue one day, as the luck would have it, a college friend called me up and asked me if I was interested in acting and I said yes. And I got Wake Up Sid with Ayan Mukerji, who was a new director then. My philosophy is - try everything till you figure out what you want to do or don’t want to do. Life is an adventure and you should take chances, you never know what an opportunity can bring to you and that’s exactly what I did. I went on meeting different collaborators who gave me an opportunity to write, direct and I learnt many things on the way. You don’t have to do one thing all the time.

What do you do in your free time?

I take care of necessities at home which takes a lot of time. I like to cook occasionally, watch television and spend time with my close ones. I also do my doodles and try to make a few pieces which I can look one day and have an exhibition in future.