Shriya Pilgaonkar: Dreamt of dancing on screen

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Reimagine - that has been the key word for Shriya Pilgaonkar in 2023. The actor's focus has been on projects that depict her in a new light. That's where Dry Day fits in. The Amazon Prime Video film, starring Jitendra Kumar, presents her as a mainstream heroine after a spate of gritty shows, including Guilty Minds (2022), Mirzapur and The Broken News (2022). "It was refreshing for me to be projected as a Hindi film heroine in Dry Day. I got to showcase an aspect that perhaps had not been seen before. What was most exciting was the opportunity to do a song. I always dreamt of dancing on screen, and Dry Day gave me that opportunity," she smiles.

Dry Day is fronted by Jitendra Kumar and Shriya Pilgaonkar

The actor says that she has been associated with hard-hitting shows for so long that filmmakers couldn't see her any other way. "My aim was always to be versatile because people are quick to stereotype you. I always have to spoon-feed people about what I am capable of because they often lack the imagination to see [me] in different ways."

Going into 2024, Pilgaonkar aims to balance movies with series. She wants to break free of the label of an OTT star. "Since most of my work has been in the OTT world, I am always introduced as an OTT star. People box you as someone [who is only] doing work in the web world. But I'd love to do more theatricals. I have done stories rooted in reality, so now, I'd like to do something cinematic, on a larger scale - say a musical, a period drama, or a rom-com."