I'm dying for a lead role: Shahana

Shahana Goswami is preparing for a makeover so that filmmakers can see her in a new light
Whether the films got good reviews or bad, there were no mixed reviews about Shahana Goswami’s acting prowess. Yet she continues to be seen in roles that support a film, rather than shoulder it, including her latest with Imran and Deepika. Shahana agrees, and admits rather honestly, “Though it’s nice to get talked about playing small parts, I am dying to do a leading lady’s role.” Not that offers haven’t come by, she shares, but they didn’t match her list of must-haves.“I’d want a good banner, along with a good script and a good director,” she says, as she believes these are essential for visibility.
Meanwhile she is busy with what she calls a “personal project,” and no, that isn’t wedding preparations with her beau Milind Soman. “You can call it a make-over. I am working on presenting myself in the best way I can, and look like an actress should.”
In spite of hating the gym, she has finally signed up to shed the extra kilos. “Though Milind and I don’t work out together – he prefers to run, and I just can’t match up with his pace –he’s helping me set the goals,” she says, and is sure that results will begin to show in a month.
For the rest, her friends from the industry are helping her out, including Deepika. “Deepika is in a different league, and she shares the experiences that it brings along.” She also counts on Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar for advice.
With a svelte figure and a wardrobe change, Shahana hopes she can get filmmakers to notice her for meaty roles. “I think it’s necessary to create a persona outside a film. Though I got appreciated for Rock On, it also brought along a kind of an image,” she says, referring to the tendency of the industry to categorize. “Once you lose weight, you can try a lot of styles, and it’ll be easier for filmmakers to see me in different roles.”
Shahana wants a career that resembles Kajol and Konkona Sen Sharma’s. Ironically what she admires about Konkona is, “How she stayed the way she was, and still got all the wonderful roles.”
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