Thought people will only see Yash: Shanvi

While she began her acting career with Telugu films, Shanvi Srivastava made quite the impact with her latest Kannada release, Masterpiece. The actress, who is gearing up for her first release of the year with Bhale Jodi, spoke to Bangalore Times about working in remakes, why she is surprised with the response she has received from Kannada audiences, and more'
Relating to a different character In Bhale Jodi, I play a mature girl from Hyderabad, who travels to Bengaluru for a wedding.She is a bubby girl, who is a bit of a tomboy. She has a mix of all the shades and emotions that a girl has, and is very bindaas. I am very different from her in real-life, as I am very homely and am very feminine. So, it was not easy to relate to my character, but it was fun to play her.
The funny and maniac director Sadhu (Kokila) sir works like a maniac and used to get angry also when things went wrong. It's just that apart from directing, he has so much more to do. So, he has a lot to do in little time. But it was a lot of fun on the set. Sadhu sir used to keep making fun of me for not knowing Kannada properly. My co-star Sumanth (Shailendra) was very supportive and helped me with the language, as did the producers, who thought I was a paapa (gullible) girl.
Working in remakes Bhale Jodi is my second remake, and while having a reference helps, I personally don't like doing remakes, as they come with a huge responsibility. People compare you from the beginning and expect you to perform better than the actors in the original film. My debut, Chandralekha, was also a remake, but I got the opportunity to perform in that movie. I accept remakes only if the character is strong and I can add something more to it. I need to feel challenged to perform better than the original.
Response from Kannada audiences I love the response that I have received here. In Masterpiece, I thought that people will only look at Yash, so I am surprised and very happy with how I have been accepted by audiences. While I have two more Kannada films lined up, I can't say that Sandalwood has become my priority, as I prefer choosing good scripts over industries. I have been getting good roles in Kannada films and if I am offered good scripts and characters elsewhere, I will certainly take them up.
On being typecast Most people see me as a bubbly young girl because I have done movies that portray me like that. An actor is all about the characters that he/she plays, so while I am consciously looking out for different characters, I will accept bubbly roles, as it is my bread and butter. The good thing is that I am slowly getting roles that I want to do, but I really want to play a historical character. I am mad about the characters shown in Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Imtiaz Ali's movies. While I am approached for the latter's roles, I will perhaps do SLB-type role in Bollywood.
I want to compete with my sister My sister, Vidisha, recently debuted in a film with Darshan, and I am waiting for the day when we can act together. We are both equally passionate about movies and I wish that she gets bigger chances. I want to compete with her, but I don't want us to be two heroines paired with the same hero. That would be awkward.