Shreya Chaudhry has had a splendid two months. The second season of her series, Bandish Bandits, was released on Amazon Prime Video in December, earning her lots of praise. And now, the actor is garnering acclaim for her act in Boman Irani’s The Mehta Boys. In a conversation with HT, Shreya looks back at her 2024 and lays down her hopes for 2025. (Also Read | The Mehta Boys review: Director Boman Irani gets actor Boman Irani’s career-best performance in a splendid tearjerker)
Talking about getting diverse roles early in her career, Shreya says, “I’m a very thirsty actor. So, my thirst is never quenched. Even on a good day, I don’t ever feel ok. I always feel I can do better.” This has led her to headline two of the most critically acclaimed projects recently, earning her a lot of praise.
On the most special praise
But Shreya is very clear about where the most special praise comes from. “I think one of the most special ones was when I spoke to Naseer sir (Naseeruddin Shah, her co-star in Bandish Bandits). Naseer sahab has always been somebody that I obviously really look up to. He’s one of the warmest people I’ve met in this industry, and some of us were lucky enough to go and workshop with him after (Bandish Bandits) season one. So just having that conversation with him and the things that he said to me, I never forget that in my life.”
She says she received similar validation from Boman Irani while filming The Mehta Boys. “These are people you look up to so much, and for them to take out that time is a big deal. They have no reason to be nice to anyone. That makes their praise so much more special,” says the actor.
On auditioning and why it’s not weird
Shreya auditioned for The Mehta Boys, something that she says she prefers. “I hear that a lot amongst people I know as well, and I have weirdly never seen auditioning as a negative thing,” she says, adding, “That is my sole way to convince you to cast me in something I really want to do. If I enter a room, the first thing I say is, please test me, even if they say that they don’t audition, which has happened, yeah. Sometimes, I don’t use the word audition.
Shreya says the process works for her now. “With time, when I also become a little more experienced, maybe I won’t need that because there are a lot of actors who don’t audition. But whatever I’ve done till now, I got through an audition, be it an ad or any project in my life. So I don’t see any harm in that,” she argues.
The Mehta Boys, Boman Irani’s directorial debut is the story of a father and son who don’t get along but are forced to spend time together in unusual circumstances. The film also stars Boman Irani, Avinash Tiwary, and Puja Sarup. The film was released on Prime Video on February 7.
