I like to play strong female characters: Shenaz Treasury
After taking a gap of four years from Bollywood, Ishq Vishk-fame actress Shenaz Treasury will be seen in Akshat Verma’s Kaalakaandi. This is second time Shenaz is working with Akshat as the debutant director had written the script of Delhi Belly (Shenaz has played a pivotal role in the film). After watching the trailer of Kaalakaandi, it looks like the film is in the same space as Delhi Belly. “Yes, it’s a dark comedy with a lot of twists and turns. The script left me at the edge of my seat when I read it and I hope the film does the same,” answers Shenaz.
Ask her about the experience of working after six years with Akshat and she can’t stop praising the writer-director. “Akshat is a great writer. I really enjoy working with someone who is so passionate about his script and story. He is sure about what he wants from each scene,” she quips.
Shenaz says that she plays the character of a crazy party girl who knows how to have a good time. “When things go wrong, she’s the one who takes charge. She’s smart and independent — a true Mumbai girl.”
Her last mainstream Bollywood film was Main Aur Mr Right opposite Varun Sobti, which released in 2014. Is she being choosy about her projects? Shenaz says that she likes to play strong female characters. “I don’t care if it’s big or small, I want to portray women as they are in real life. I feel Bollywood doesn’t portray real women on screen.”
Not many know that Shenaz is also a screen writer. She had written the screenplay of Luv Ka The End, which starred Shraddha Kapoor and Taaha Shah. Will we see her writing another project anytime soon? She replies, “Yes, I had written another film. It’s called Dreading My Wedding with three women centric roles,” she replies. Shenaz says that she would also like to direct the project. “A few years ago, people didn’t want to put money into female-centric films, hopefully things are changing and I will find the money to make it soon,” she says.
Shenaz has also starred in Hollywood film Big Sick, a biographical romantic comedy loosely based on the real-life romance between Emily V Gordon (writer-producer) and Kumail Nanjiani (Pakistani-American stand-up comedian). The actress says that she has just shot for My Cousin Sister’s Wedding, based on the play Dirty Paki Lingerie. “It’s an American film where I play a Pakistani character who goes to America to find a husband,” she says before signing off.
