Dancing delight - Shaurya Chauhan 
By Screen Weekly, October 15, 2007 - 09:30 IST
Shaurya Chauhan has worked with Priyadarshan, Vikram Bhatt and even danced in a number with Salman Khan. She loves to dance and even pull
off some daring stunts and action sequences. This young actress speaks of her budding acting career
Launch
I started off with a 2004 Malayalam film titled Vettam directed by Priyadarshan sir. After that I chose to be a part of Mumbai theatre. I worked with
Nadira Zahir Babbar and Zakir Hussain in a Prithvi play titled Raja Bahadur. By now, I had a good start on my hands and to boot to that I got to do a
Kingfisher calendar shoot as well. I started meeting people and it finally took me to an audition for a Deepak Tijori film but unfortunately, things did
not work out on that front.
Casting coup
I finally landed a role in Vikram Bhatt’s Mumbai Salsa. Even though I had not been cast to work with Deepakji, he recommended me to Vikram Bhatt. I
auditioned twice for a role in Mumbai Salsa but I was rejected on both occasions. To my surprise I got third time lucky. A few days after my third
attempt, I got a call from the production house and they said they really liked my performance. I got the role of a Salsa dance instructor in the film.
Stepping stone
I have been a National Gymnastics Champion and as a kid I had always wanted to have a career in gymnastics or sports. Being a natural athlete I was
always very good with physical movements that made me a good dancer. As gymnasts we were asked to choreograph our performance, which
involved selecting songs, selecting apt movements and a lot of other stuff closely related to dancing. That set the platform for my inclination
towards performing arts. It took me to Bangalore where I did a lot of modeling in advertisements and now I am finally here in Bollywood.
First dialogue
My first scene in Mumbai Salsa was an emotional one, where I was supposed to break down. My character had just found out her guy was cheating
on her and that was to be the end of things between them. There was even a precise timing for the tear to drop out. The scene happened, I said
something like “Please go away…” and it was done. Both Vikram Bhatt and the producer came up to me, shook hands and told me the scene was
fantastic. A painful scene to enact, really brought me, my professional high.
Stumbling block
Like any other actor I too have my set of flaws which I need to work on. I know for a fact that I can dance well. And to add to that I can do some
outstanding action. Thanks to my athletic and gymnast history I find it really easy to do these physically demanding stunts and action sequences.
So, as long as I am focused on my strengths I should have a safe career sailing.
Matinee Idol
I really adore Kajol a lot. She’s such a bindaas woman and yet she hold’s her own despite being so casual. She just chooses to be herself and that
gives her acting a degree of comfort most actors would die for. I also love Aamir Khan, Pankaj Kapur and Naseeruddin Shah for the great actors they
are. I hope to learn and emulate from their extraordinary ability to adapt to different roles and use their body language as a weapon of choice.
Lessons learnt
Working on so many things, especially Mumbai Salsa, has taught me to be humble and ever aware of my surroundings. It has also introduced me to
some of my biggest flaws. Working with established and more experienced actors has made me realize I need to work on my diction and dialogue
delivery. These are novice shortcomings and I am working hard to eliminate them completely.
Future Plans
I want to be known as a good actress and a great entertainer. I must admit that I am awestruck with the dream of being a star. But I also know it will
not happen just like that. The future will be bright as long as I work hard and keep my feet on the ground.
Just like any other actor, I too have a dream of working with the Yash Raj banner. But till that happens I have other work to keep me busy. Right now
I am working on two projects one untitled due to start in August next year and another called Shut Up And Dance.
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