Shreya Dhanwanthary says she kept fearing that she’d be ‘fired’ from Chup: ‘People have been removed from projects for…’

In filmmakers R Balki’s latest psychological thriller Chup–featuring Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol and Pooja Bhatt–Shreya Dhanwanthary stars as an idealistic film journalist Nila, who must rise up to the occasion after a serial killer starts carving stars into the bodies of his victims, film critics.

Written by Balki, Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani, Chup opened in cinemas on September 23 to largely positive word of mouth and reviews. In an interview with indianexpress.com, Shreya spoke about the reception of the film, how she grappled her way in the initial days of the shoot in fear and what her future slate looks like.

Edited excerpts:

What has your head space been like since Chup released?

I have gotten congratulatory messages and a lot of love, but to be honest, all I did during the release weekend was do laundry, clean my house and by groceries!

Did you read reviews of Chup? Do you read them in general?

When I watch films as an audience and I like them, and if I read reviews which bash them or opinions that don’t match with mine, then I don’t understand why I should take that seriously, after all it is subjective. For this one, I didn’t seek out any reviews, though I read a couple which were sent to me. I did read tweets though because people had tagged me!

When an unfavorable review comes out about you or your work, how do you take it?

You get disheartened a little bit, but so far, they have been decent about the stuff I have done. You are not some selfish, horrible person concerned about yourself. In the end, if you deliver great performance in something that doesn’t work, then it doesn’t help anybody. But if it’s a successful project and you have done mediocre work, it still raises everything.

It is always nice to be part of projects which the audience resonate with. If they don’t care, then what the hell is the point… The only time I read reviews is when I don’t like a film, to find out if I am the only one! Otherwise, I don’t care what critics have written if I have found something enjoyable.

What did you hope Chup would do for you?

My genuine hope from the film was that someone notices my work, notices me. I was truly, truly in a dream-like scenario, working with Sunny, Pooja, Dulquer and of course Balki. That fact that the audience liked what I did increases the pressure that now I need to keep delivering.

For the first ten days in Chup, I kept thinking I’ll get fired! I kept thinking that they will realise that they made a mistake, that I don’t know anything and will let me go. Full credit to Balki–because he has more faith in you than you have in yourself– because after that, I was happy that this (the film) was happening. I told myself, be present in the moment, don’t veer away in the future.

You were coming to Chup after hits like Family Man and Scam. Why were you doubting yourself?

This is a permanent personality trait. Because it has happened before as well, when people have been removed from projects for no rhyme or reason. It is just a fear, you listen to the naysayers and all the people who have said… Because you want the project, you can’t believe this is happening to you. I couldn’t believe my luck, I thought this was too good to be true, that the bubble was going to burst.

I thought I can’t be so happy, some ‘locha’ (something fishy) is there. I was weirdly setting myself up to not have a heartbreak, in the off chance that it does happen. I think it reveals a lot about my personality.

Has the fear hampered a performance?

I would like to say no, because I really just want to perform. It is going to be a useless answer, but, when I hear the word action, the world fades away. Everything vanishes, only to be snapped back when I hear cut.

In that case, how are you when you watch yourself on screen? Do you find flaws?

Oh constantly. I keep thinking, ‘I could have done this or that differently.’ I don’t know if anyone can be fully satisfied. I always find something that I can improve on.

The film has a lot of interesting moments. What was your favourite scene?

There are several. The climax was pretty awesome to shoot. I had to be under that massive light. You really have to love what you do for whatever I did in that scene. I was constantly tied, bound and bleeding under that light. I had to be protected from it because it was so hot, it could burn me. It was shot for two days. It was excruciating!

There is a shot in the film which has been discussed a lot. A banner in the frame which reads, ‘Woody Allen is innocent.’ How do you look at that? (Allen’s adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow has alleged he sexually abused her as a child. He has repeatedly denied the claims).

That is something Balki should be asked. My views are very different though.

You have worked with a diverse set of filmmakers: From Hansal Mehta, R Balki, Raj and DK to Nikkhil Advani. That must be an interesting space to be. 

They are all genuinely cool, fun people. All of them have one thing surprisingly common: They allow me to play. It is pretty heartening to have your directors place that much faith in you. Like with Balki, even though we were making a thriller, the environment on set was fun, healthy all the time.

How do you see going forward from here?

I really just hope for good employment. My only hope from one gig is that I get another, and from that, another. That is a realistic and sensible approach to have.

You have two projects lined up, Sabbir Khan’s Adhbhut alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Mumbai Diaries season 2. What should we expect?

Adhbhut is something Sabbir Khan has never attempted before. It is a very interesting project, in the space of thriller horror. Even season two of Mumbai Diaries deals with a fresh new disaster, with some characters returning and some new joining. Please don’t ask me about Family Man season 3, ask Raj and DK.