Shama Sikander, who impressed one and all with her simple character of Pooja in TV serial 'Yeh Meri Life Hai', has grown by leaps and bounds in the industry. She has been a part of a very few but impactful projects in her career. The actress recently sat down with ETimes for a freewheeling chat where she spoke about her humble background, growing up as a movie buff, status of female actors in the industry today and more. Excerpts...
Even after decades, people still fondly remember you as Pooja from 'Yeh Meri Life Hai'. How does it feel?
It feels really heartwarming, actually. It feels like I did something right. It feels like whatever hard work I put into playing that character was appreciated. The show was released in 2005 and we are in 2023 now. Even after all these years, if people can remember me for that character, I must have made a strong impact. I feel proud of myself to be able to pull off something like that and to be able to create space in people's hearts and their minds that they still not only remember me but a lot of them show me the same love that they did when I was doing that show, and when the show was on air. It's also a very gratifying and humbling experience to be honest.
You have often spoken about coming from a humble background. Is that what still keeps you grounded?
Yes, it surely does. When you see things from zero and you build it on your own, there's a lot of hard work, there's a lot of failures that you go through and they really ground you, they really show you the mirror and teach you a lot, give you a lot of wisdom and knowledge about life. It taught me how everything is just temporary and how I should just enjoy it for the moment and for the journey because what you become to achieve whatever goal you want to achieve, what you become on the way is what your true purpose is.
So for me, it really doesn't matter what your goals are. What matters to me is what I become to achieve that goal and how I allow myself to blossom fully into the person that I wish and aspire to be.
Were you a movie buff growing up? Whom did you idolise?
I was absolutely a movie buff. I come from Makrana which is a small place in Rajasthan. It is famous for marbles. It's a small place but people have a big heart there and we had our own cable. So I watched a lot of movies every day. I still remember that we used to play something on TV and everybody in our mohalla used to come and watch. We had to increase the volume so it could reach the last person who was watching in another house.
And I have also seen movies in theatres. My dad and grandfather were also big movie buffs. We loved watching movies. I think I watched too many Bollywood films. I didn't only watch films, I lived them. I used to come back and narrate the whole story with dialogues and with action and with everything. People who couldn't afford to go to theatres, they used to call me for their personal entertainment. I think that's how my father thought that I was a very good actor and I was entertaining so many people and keeping them busy with my performance as a child.
I used to love Meena Kumari ji, Dilip Kumar saab, Dharmendra ji, Balraj Sahni ji, and Mumtaz ji growing up. During my teenage years, I was a huge fan of Sridevi. She has left such a huge impact on my life through her performances. I just wanted to be like her. She was an extremely talented and flawless actor. I think she was just the epitome of beauty for me.
Tell us something about your initial days in the entertainment industry.
My initial days were very interesting. I got all kinds of experiences. I came across people who wanted me to change my name, some wanted to change my personality, and some wanted to change the entire me. But slowly, you learn who you really are. And then you draw that boundary to not allow anybody to change you and mould you in a particular way that they think is all right for the industry and you become your own person.
I am not somebody who people can impose their own ideas of a personality on. I have been a very free thinker right from my childhood. I am a very spiritual person and I was always very connected to myself. I was very clear about this right from the start that I don't even need people in my life who cannot accept me for who I was. The industry is very different today. However, earlier, people were very close minded and judgmental. And I am glad that I stood my grounds and I did not give up.
Today actresses are no longer eye candy and getting their dues as an actor in the industry. However, this was not the case when you started your career. How do you look at this change today as an actor?
Yes, that is true. It was not the case when I started my career. However, I have been very lucky to get female centric roles from the beginning of my career. In most of the work that I have done and people know me for, those have been really appreciated and loved by people. So I am very grateful that I was always looked upon as somebody that people can trust as an artist.
But today I am seeing this great change and I thank God that it's happening because it was long due. We needed this change. Women are an equal member of society and often they are not celebrated and appreciated for what they bring to the table. We need to keep having conversations about it because the more we talk about it, the more people will get aware about the same. It is a positive change and I am glad that the world is moving in the right direction.
