Shreya Dhanwanthary who debuted in the industry in 2009, is finally getting her fair share of success and acknowledgement after delivering memorable performances in shows like Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story and The Family Man, among others. Now, the actress can be seen essaying the role of a pregnant woman in her latest short film titled Birth. Also starring Lillete Dubey and Abeer Mehervish among others, the feminist thriller takes on the journey of a woman faced with motherhood, not as a choice, but as an absolute necessity.
During an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, the actress said it was a ‘funky’ concept to explore. “I thought the idea of doing a horror film relating to the many stages of pregnancy and the many things women go through was a funky concept to explore. Since I don’t actually know what pregnant women go through, I thought it would be really cool to see and figure out and be a part of this horror scenario that we created,” Shreya told us.
Talking about the preparation for the role, she joked that it was not a good idea for her to “go method and actually get pregnant” so she tapped into the feeling one gets when they are worried and is constantly offered advice from everyone. However, Shreya added that the most challenging part of playing a pregnant woman was lifting the false belly. “The belly was quite heavy and challenging to lift so I don’t know how women do it for real, but I think that’s something they want. Apart from that, it was quite fun,” the actress shared.
The film sees Shreya’s character Meera visiting a place headed by Mama Nithya (Lillete Dubey) where expecting mothers come to find joy in their pregnancy. How the place changes her life is something that forms the crux of the satirical drama. When asked about her views on pregnancy and motherhood the actress revealed that it is not something she sees for herself. “As of now, as far as I can see, that (motherhood) is not something I see for myself. Because it is not something I see for myself, I have zero opinions on motherhood,” Shreya added.
Birth also explores the role society plays in reshaping a woman’s identity after motherhood. Shreya said that she had similar conversations with her co-star Lillete, about women and their choices. Talking about the Kal Ho Naa Ho actress, she stated, “She was so much fun, we could talk about literally everything under the sun including the choices women have now when it comes to their bodies. In some parts, even that’s been taken away and there’s not much improvement. It’s a very ironic place where it looks like we have progressed but the rights are still being challenged and absurd claims are constantly being thrown up in court. We are not being able to decide what we want to do with our own bodies.”
Talking about her upcoming projects, Shreya shared that she will be seen in a film with R. Balki soon. Apart from that, she also has a project with Sabbir Khan in the pipeline.
Meanwhile, Birth, directed by Shyam Sunder and produced by Natasha Malpani Oswal of Boundless Media, is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
