“My ambition was to be an actress and work under the best banners ever-since I was five year old,” comes the bold proclamation of a new entrant to Bollywood, Sheena Shahabadi.

Today, the dreams of that five year old have transformed into reality. The little girl is all grown-up into an unassuming twenty year old who is eagerly awaiting the release of her first film as an actress. Sheena’s dream to work under big banners is fulfilled in her debut film titled Teree Sang under Karol Bagh Film and Entertainment. With dreamy eyes she looks over at the hoardings that show her with a swollen belly. Yes, the dream is coming true.

We quizzed how she managed to do such a crucial and difficult role? Portraying an unwed teenage mother in the very first film is a big challenge for a novice. Sheena shrugs, “Well, I think, an actor must be a good observer. Since childhood, I have the habit of observing everything that I come across. Actually, when my mother was expecting my brother, I would observe her minutely and would enquire about her feelings. I feel these minute incidents helped me perform the role efficiently.”

Daughter of yesteryears actress Sadhna Singh of Nadiya Ke Uss Par fame; Sheena says it’s her family she looks up-to for support. Her on-screen family in Teree Sang is poles apart from her real life. In the film, Sheena’s character is neglected, unloved; shedding importance on the strong family support, she says, “Maahi the character I play in Teree Sang goes through a lot in the film. Her pregnancy is a direct consequence of parental-negligence. Parents are the child’s backbone; their attention makes a huge difference.”

Extremely level-headed and grounded, this girl knows what she has to do in life and follows a set of dos and don’ts to achieve her goal. When we asked, whether she would expose if the script demands, she didn’t mince words, “My parents are the ultimate decision-makers. And this is a mutual understanding between me and them. If I am comfortable and my parents agree, then nothing on earth can hold me back.”

Reflecting back she adds, “I think I have experienced something of this sort in my debut film. It was due to mutual understanding between me and parents that I agreed to kiss. I think exposing is something I will consider after assessing the demand of the script and its aesthetical presentation.”

Definitely breaking the stereotypes in her debut film Teree Sang, Sheena is no fumbling rookie. She comes across as a girl who knows what she wants, and how to get it done. Confident and calm she looks forward to her unconventional debut in Bollywood. All we can say is way to go Sheena.

- Esha Razdan/ Sampurn Media