Shahana Goswami: I can only be the actor I'm based on how I observe and experience the world around me

Shahana Goswami was recently in Delhi to attend the screening of her upcoming Australian-Indian TV series Four Years Later, at the Australian High Commission. After the screening, Goswami spoke about her approach to acting and the series.

'The series is about immigration and how it takes a toll on people in different ways'
Goswami shared that the show is about emotions relevant to all kinds of interpersonal relationships. She said, "All kinds of interpersonal relationships are becoming more difficult and nuanced. The series is also about immigration and how it takes a toll on people in different ways. The way Yash's character experiences immigration is very different from how Sri’s (her) character experiences it, because of her own background and challenges. This is something a lot of people in our generation relate to - travelling abroad, living away from family, and discovering parts of themselves that were somehow inhibited in the places they grew up."

'I can only be the actor I am based on how I observe and experience the world around me'
Talking about her approach to acting, she explained, "I think it has a lot to do with how I live my life. I can only be the actor I am based on how I observe and experience the world around me. Empathy is something I've been brought up with, something I’ve nurtured, and it’s continued to grow in me. It allows me to be able to do that character, to be that in a situation."

She continued, "Also, people need to remember that filmmaking isn’t what you see on-screen. It’s a disconnected process. You jump between scenes with no emotional continuity. You have to stay present, switch emotions quickly, and perform. It’s a constant dance between practicality and vulnerability - allowing something real to flow through you even in fragmented circumstances. I didn’t always have the vocabulary for this, but I’ve always tried to live my life fully - both within and beyond the film world - drawing from my experiences and observations to be completely present."


'There’s often this divide between depictions of extreme poverty or rural life that outsiders associate with India, and the larger-than-life Bollywood extravaganza'
Four Years Later is written by India-born, Mithila Gupta who was raised in Australia. The series follows Sri (Shahana Goswami) and Yash (Akshay Ajit Singh) as they reconnect after years of long-distance separation.
Talking about the project, Goswami said, "What struck me about this series is that it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before. It’s an international production made for a global audience, yet it has two Indian leads speaking in Indian English. Usually, in such productions actors speak in accents or speak in the language of the country the story is set. But nothing like this series exists."
"The audience that watches OTT content will connect with this. There’s often this divide between depictions of extreme poverty or rural life that outsiders associate with India, and the larger-than-life Bollywood extravaganza. But the middle ground - the reality lived by many Indians today - remains underrepresented."
She added,"I experience this whenever I travel. People don’t know how to place me - someone who speaks fluent English."

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