Shreya Mehta: It’s not easy to deliver your dialogues, show your emotions in 30 seconds

Shreya Mehta

How does a "loud Punjabi girl" transform into a demure woman on camera? It doesn't come easy, asserts Shreya Mehta. The actor believes she had to go against her natural fibre to play the character of Jahnavi in Dice Media's Firsts Season 4. "Playing a sweet, introverted girl gave me a new perspective. In real life, I am a loud Punjabi personality who doesn't have a filter, but Jahnavi was the opposite. It was a welcome change after constantly playing confident, badass roles," says Mehta.

The interesting bit about the 20-episode series is its duration - each story has to be told in 60 seconds. The actor, who was recently seen in Namaste England (2018), says she simply followed her director's vision. "It's not easy to deliver your dialogues, show your emotions and add your own flavour in 30 seconds. I felt restricted initially, but the three-hour reading sessions with co-actor Rohan Khurana and director Pranay Manchanda helped. I had started my career in Delhi, making vines, videos, and making people laugh in 30 seconds. That training came in handy."

Rohan Khurana with Shreya Mehta in Firsts season 4

As she gears up for the second season of College Romance and Girls Hostel, Mehta confesses that not being a trained actor is one of her insecurities. "I have never done theatre or gone to a film school. I have done a few workshops, but they don't count for much." She reveals that whenever a new project comes her way, she is worried about not being able to do justice to her role. "There are always insecurities, I just hide mine better," she signs off.