Great to do a Gujarati film after so many years in showbiz: Helly Shah

Helly Shah, who made her D-Town debut with Surprise recently, says that she is “really happy to have finally done a film in my mother tongue.” The popular TV actress was in Ahmedabad recently. Helly, who made her OTT debut with Gullak 4 last year, adds, “I was telling Vatsal (Sheth, her co-actor in Surprise) that it’s wonderful to have finally done a Gujarati film after so many years in showbiz. I guess there is a right time for everything; der aaye durust aaye. Vatsal is a gem of a person and working with him was really easy.”

She adds, “During the promotional activities of my debut film, I visited Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, and Ahmedabad. It was great fun because my extended family stays in Ahmedabad. I am a big foodie and love the local delicacies in every city. In Rajkot, I had bhakri with butter and it was mouth-watering.”

‘This is an exciting phase for Gujarati cinema’

Helly feels “this is an exciting phase for Gujarati cinema.” She adds, “I immediately said yes to Surprise because I found the story intriguing. It was not your typical suspense thriller and playing a thief on screen was great fun. Gujarati cinema is coming up with very good content now, and the production value is excellent too. I like the vision that the makers have for the industry.”

She adds, “I have completed shooting for another Gujarati film, Deda, which may release later this year. It is an emotionally enriching story that is completely different from what I have done in my debut film. I am also in talks for another Gujarati film. My mom and I love enjoying Gujarati films together. We have loved films like Kutch Express, Hellaro, Dear Father, Vash and Chhello Divas. I feel this is a great time for me to enter the industry.”

‘Doing comedy for the first time was challenging but fun’

Helly, who took a break from TV after Ishq Mein Marjawan 2 (2021), recently made her small screen comeback with Zyada Mat Udd. She says, “I always wanted to do a sitcom and it’s not often that you see a TV show based on the aviation industry. Also, I had never done a comedy before. While it was challenging, I had great fun because I got to work with some terrific co-actors. It’s very different from typical saas-bahu serials.”

She adds, “There are people who have told me that the show has not done as well as we had expected. However, we feel we should be proud because we tried something different. Times are changing and I hope shows that try something new are accepted. I have a couple of interesting OTT projects lined up this year, and I am very excited about them.”

Asked about whether TV is exploring new concepts often enough, she shares, “It’s not happening regularly. Saal-do saal mein aisa ek show aata hai, which is completely out of the box. Sometimes, a good show is not appreciated enough when it is released and the audience appreciates its true worth after a few years, like it happened in the case of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. I want to see more experimentation on TV. It would be great if makers take more risks.”




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