Actor Medha Shankar is being noticed for her performance in her debut web film Shaadisthan

For a shy and studious child who grew up in Delhi, struggling in Mumbai to make a mark as an actor had been quite a tough journey. But young actor Medha Shankar’s passion for acting runs so deep that she strove to pursue the same unflinchingly. “I feel that self-belief and perseverance are your only two best friends to make it in this industry. Latch onto them as tightly as you can and keep marching forward. Also, one should never take rejections personally and never count them because there’ll be thousands of them. I just keep working on myself and keep the faith intact,” says Medha.

After countless rejections in auditions, she finally bagged the role of Roshanara in the British television series Beecham House, a period drama directed by Gurinder Chadha. And now, Medha is earning praises for her debut OTT feature film Shaadisthan that’s streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. The film starring Medha, Kirti Kulhari and Nivedita Bhattacharya revolves around Arshi (Medha’s character) and her family who wants her to get betrothed to a man against her wishes.

“Arshi is a regular teenage girl who aspires to make a name for herself, have fun with her friends and live a free life like any other 17-year-old. To prepare for my character, I created a personal, social and emotional life for her to understand her more deeply as a person. I could instantly connect to Arshi’s pain, angst and her whole emotional journey,” says Medha.

Medha’s upcoming projects include a web series for Disney+ Hotstar called Those Pricey Thakur Girls, based on the eponymous bestselling novel by Anuja Chauhan. “I can’t divulge much about my role right now since I am shooting for the same currently. All I can say is that the audience will see me in a completely new avatar,” she adds.

The serene actor, who’s trying to get a toehold in the acting industry is keen on doing as many different roles as possible and dreams of working with Ranveer Singh and Rajkummar Rao one day. “I want to take up diverse characters that are distinct from the ones I have reprised before, roles that challenge me as an actor. I would also love to work with Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap and Zoya Akhtar in the future,” she concludes.

sharmishtha.g@newindianexpress.com

Twitter: @sharmidas