Showing posts with label Sheena Shahabadi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sheena Shahabadi. Show all posts

Monday, 13 July 2009

I agreed to kiss after my Parents' Approval:Sheena


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.

Saturday, 11 July 2009

Sadhna's Daughter makes debut with sex-education film


Sheena Shahabadi, daughter of yesteryear actress Sadhna, is making a rather unconventional beginning in Bollywood. In her debut flick Tere Sang, she plays a teenaged girl whose boyfriend makes her pregnant.

The film comes with a message around teen pregnancy and has sex education as one of its major promotional pegs. Ruslaan Mumtaz plays the male lead.

"Seriously, for how long can one shut eyes to sex education? It sounds so strange that in today's age and times, there are teenagers who don't think about safe sex at all. Education around this should be a definite must for all or they get misguided by random information available to them," 19-year-old Sheena told IANS.

Directed by Satish Kaushik, Tere Sang tells the story of 15-year-old Maahi (Sheena) and 17-year-old Kukko (Ruslaan) who are school mates. In one of their outdoor rendezvous with a bunch of friends, they decide to 'experiment' and end up making love to each other. When Maahi gets pregnant, she decides to give birth to the child and she gets complete support from Kukko.

"I'm very happy that I got to play Maahi in my very first film," says Sheena, who is the daughter of Sadhna Singh, of Nadiya Ke Paar fame. "It is completely different from the routine running around the trees jig since it conveys a serious message without compromising on the entertainment quotient."

Since this 'kidult love story' - as the film's publicity material exclaims - has quite an uncommon theme, did Sheena have any reference points while working on the film?

"I didn't base my character on anyone in particular but, yes, I know for sure that teen pregnancy is quite common today. I have seen at least a couple of girls of my age going for abortion. They went through a painful experience not just physically but mentally too."

She is neither against teenage romance nor a physical relationship. But Sheena does insist on using protection.

"Use protection, otherwise you are gone. You may get carried away by a particular moment, but the least you could do to help yourself is be prepared."

For her, there is also "emotional protection" that plays a major role in teenagers being sensible in their affairs.

"Parents should be more attached to their children and give them warmth so that they don't have to step out and end up doing something that is not suitable for their age. Luxury and riches aren't important enough; love and affection play major roles too," she said.

"If teenagers and parents are open about each other's feelings then there are less chances of them making mistakes. God forbid, even if that happens then a good relationship would ensure that you are brave enough to face the situation rather than turn suicidal."

Made under the banner of Karol Bagh Film and Entertainment, which is owned by Anupam Kher, Satish Kaushik and Manoj Mittal, Tere Sang is produced by Bharat Shah.

Releasing Aug 7, it also stars Satish Kaushik himself along with Sushmita Mukherjee, Rajat Kapoor, Neena Gupta and Anupam Kher in a special appearance.