In two decades, Shahna Goswami has worked in styles, continents and formats. In his latest series, Four years laterShe plays the role of Sridevi or ‘Sri’ – a woman drawn between her cities, relationships and versions. Manufactured by Mithila Gupta, the Australian-Indian drama is set between Jaipur and Sydney, to find out what is love when catching time and distance. Last year, Satisfaction Bring Shahna to Cannes. Now, this is the next step.
“I was approached Dilip Shankar, who is the casting director of the show,” she tells me on a zoom call. “And quite funny, I really heard about the project through a friend, Richie Mehta, who had heard about it too. I remember that he is saying,” Oh, you will be great for the part. ” And then I forgot about it. “That Chakli.” And then Dileep came to me with this project, and it happened the same. “
When the script returned to him, it looked serious, but still bent with hesitation. “Initially, I was not sure if I was right for it,” she believes. “The character was much younger than me. But in the middle of shooting I was one day SatisfactionClosed himself in a room, and tapped four scenes. There was a reality in emotion and the way the couple spoke, which was of the common ‘Tu-Tu-Main-Man’ dynamic. ,
Shahna Goswami and Akshay Ajit Singh still ‘four years later’. Photo Credit: Lionsgate Play
Sri’s depiction of Shahna seems to be strikingly individual, and what she says was the truth of the character. She says, “She is like me in the context of her personality and personality.” “And I really get very little opportunity to play. Only and time I really felt that I could do it. You are my Sunday“Bhumika also marked a rare earlier:” Suddenly at the age of 37–38, I was getting an opportunity to live in a romantic series for the first time in my life. “
In playing that romance, Shahna found herself reflecting his ideas of modern relationships. “It was interesting for me to see that the characters meet through a systematic marriage. She is a romantic romantic in a way, but she is still open to the idea of meeting a partner through a systematic setup. If she failed to find himself, why not try other means?”
This openness feels a symbol of a broad innings, which is celebrated individually and culturally. “Over time, I have been generally more open, not for myself, but in general, for the idea of systematic marriage I must have judged first. I have learned and seen through the experiences of people around me, in a sense, it is not different from the dating app.”
Shahna Goswami and Akshay Ajit Singh still ‘four years later’. Photo Credit: Lionsgate Play
She also speaks, lets the old binergies go: “The whole thing to attract the protests is that I am not doing much. I now understand that it is not so contradictory that it is a supplementary personality type.
Shooted in Jaipur and Sydney, shift in settings shaped her performance. After never going to Sydney before shooting, Shahna described filming as a kind of emotional osmosis there. She explains, “You look at Mr. Anubhav Sydney in real time with you.” “There was a feeling of fear and opening. I first went to Melbourne, but Sydney was new, and this newness turns into his journey.”
Even speaking work – switching between Hindi and English and modifying accents – turned beyond boundaries. “Code switching is very common, even within some parts of India, when you move from one place to another. I was born and raised in South Delhi, but when I moved to Bombay, my Hindi and English changed.”
She feeds in the imagination of the exploiting show of place, language and identity. Shri himself, who came to Australia, became a kind of unexpected reunion. “If I had to play Yash (played by Akshay Ajit Singh), it would be very difficult for me because I am very favorable and open as a person, and thrive with travel and new experiences,” she says.
Shahna Goswami and Akshay Ajit Singh still ‘four years later’. Photo Credit: Lionsgate Play
Asked about the rise of the Diasporic South Asian story, she comments on how the series looks like its kind. “This type of show has never happened before,” she says. “Two Indians in the lead are speaking in their own pronunciation in English. Usually, the character is either a native of that country, or they adopt the pronunciation of the country. But it is our reality. It is our reality. English with Hindi sputtering. English. How many of us live. And yet we see it on screen.”
And this is not something she saw to model diasporic films. “I don’t think I am a person who is ever involved in other experiences because every story and each story is very different. What was useful was my own living experience and people around me who are equal and are from this milestone.”
The historic election of Zoharan Mamdani as the new Mayor of New York City – and the fact that he is the son of migrant stallwart Meera Nair – not to bring into the conversation. But his victory played against a disturbed increase in anti -immigrant sentiments in the United States and other places. Shahna reflects the role of art in that fight, saying, “I think art reflects life and often art affects life,” she says. “Zoharan was probably because we are living in the time of incredible polarization where the second extreme is so strong. Sometimes you need extreme to deal with the extreme.” Nevertheless, she believes in the role of art in shaping the possibility. “This is a beautiful way in the city [New York] A different type of society and community and future desire have shown its solidarity. ,
Does she see herself as part of this growing global wave of South Asian story telling? “I hope,” she says. “Every decline in the ocean matters. You are looking at more brown people on the screen, without the need to explain their appearance. Satisfaction Or We all imagine as light – For Indians and Indians – Traveling far away. But this does not mean that just because you are brown, you should only tell brown stories. ,
Shahna Goswami and Akshay Ajit Singh still ‘four years later’. Photo Credit: Lionsgate Play
And although a way of going to mainstream Indian cinema, Shahna also seems optimistic about the progress made in blind places of the industry. “Stories are changing. The roles are more fine, not only for women, but also for men. Male vulnerability or a lot of focus on the fact that men are also victims of patriarchy.”
Even his dreams have been expressed with a prolific accuracy. “Dennis Villainuway is at the top of my list because I have loved all her films. I think she has this beautiful balance of being able to do something on a very large scale, but with a deep sense and great cinematic value,” she says. ,arrival My favorite I keep revealing that I will be inside Tibba 3Because that universe includes all from different parts of the world. ,
And if the villain does not call? “Pedro Almodwer,” she says without missing a beet. “I felt that it would never happen because when I will ever learn Spanish? But now he is making English films. So maybe it can happen.”
Four years later is currently available to stream on Lionsgate Play
Published – July 15, 2025 03:52 pm IST
