It’s been over 10 years since a Kohinoor made its appearance on the silver screen in director Vinay Govind’s Kohinoor. Since then, actor Shraddha Srinath has positioned herself as a performer with an eye for nuance. Looking back on the journey, she feels grateful. “From someone who wanted to be an actor, to now introducing myself as an actor every chance I get, it’s been fulfilling. There’s been a lot of learning and insecurities. It has been very interesting. I feel like, when I die, I will be proud that I took this risky step,” says the law graduate-turned-actor.
I then spring up a question that she says she was asked during her law school interviews: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? “With a bigger bank balance (laughs). Definitely acting, continuing to do more meaningful work; I hope to be an actor till my last breath.”
Shraddha’s latest title is the Tamil series The Game: You Never Play Alone, which has been streaming on Netflix from Thursday, October 2. The actor plays a nationally-acclaimed game developer in the series. In real life, Shraddha isn’t much of a gamer — she recollects playing Road Rash, one of the greats from a bygone era, and a golf game that was gifted to her father — which is why she had to do a lot of research to understand the world of her character, Kavya Rajaram.
Shraddha Srinath interview on The Game
| Video Credit:
Thamodharan B.
“I looked into the gaming industry, spoke to my gamer friends, and besides that, I googled female gaming developers across the world.” The actor was fascinated to see how different they all looked. “It’s not like a gaming developer had to look a certain way or wear certain kinds of clothes,” which prompted the actor to make Kavya her own.
Shraddha Srinath as Kavya in ‘The Game’
| Photo Credit:
Akash Balaji/Netflix
For Shraddha, research is a necessary part of her prep. For Nerkonda Paarvai, in which she played a sexual assault survivor, she recollected bitter memories from her past, times she felt most uncomfortable, to get into a certain state of mind for the part. For her 2022 social drama Witness, the actor went through the history of manual scavenging-related deaths in India.
While she agrees that an actor can successfully act out a role without any research, doing so lets you grow empathy for the character, she says. “Otherwise, you are just enacting out a stranger. I will not say it allows you to get under the skin of the character — because getting under the skin is another realm of acting that I haven’t achieved yet — it allows you to understand the character and the context more.”
The Game, directed by Rajesh M Selva, speaks about online toxicity. In the series, Shraddha’s Kavya is relentlessly harassed and abused on the internet for being an outspoken female — which is sadly the new normal for most public figures, especially women, many of whom face online abuse.
Director Rajesh M Selva on making ‘The Game’:
“Online abuse is something everyone faces these days. Years ago, you may have needed to write a letter or send mail to reach out to someone, but now, you just need their social media handles. Though we say we should ignore all that, such toxicity will definitely impact your confidence. I wanted to explore how this would affect someone’s personal life, especially someone who is a public figure. My research into this brought up so many shocking details, and frankly speaking, what we see in this show is only on the surface level.”
On the sensitive portrayal of sexual abuse: “Right from the writing stage, we were particular that we had to handle it quite sensitively. We want all sorts of audiences to consume it, and it shouldn’t be watched for the wrong reasons. I have a daughter at home who is also exposed to the internet, and I wanted her to be able to watch this series as well.”
Shraddha Srinath as Kavya in ‘The Game’
| Photo Credit:
Akash Balaji/Netflix
Shraddha, too, is no exception, but that she is quite active on Instagram prompts one to ask how she processes this sad state of affairs. “Initially, I would respond to all comments and messages personally because I wanted to be an approachable public figure, but you can’t keep doing that. It takes a toll on your mental health because there are some really vile things that are spoken,” she says, adding that she now takes both love and hate with a pinch of salt. “It’s like, ‘I’m glad that you like me, or, you know, I’m sorry that you hate me.’ But that’s easier said than done because there are days when one comment will stay on your mind. But you learn to grow a thick skin after some time, because how much can one person possibly care?”
When Rajesh narrated the story of The Game, she was piqued to know how her character processes and handles the online abuse. “Kavya loves to speak her mind on social media, and is also a public figure — she is one of the hottest, fastest-growing game developers — so I wanted to see how they tackle that.” She also wanted to act in a role written by a woman; screenwriter Deepthi Govindarajan co-wrote the screenplay with Rajesh. “I am always happy to see how a woman writes a woman.”
Shraddha Srinath on how she handles when a film fails:
“I believe every film has its fate, the right time, space, and people. Some of the best movies go unnoticed. And then they resurface many years later, and are suddenly called classics. I have understood that in this industry, nothing is in your hands. And that lack of control — for someone like me who really wants control in her life — petrifies me.”
Shraddha Srinath
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan B/The Hindu
Shraddha’s recent Tamil films include Kaliyugam and the acclaimed Irugapatru. However, they don’t come close to the mark that Witness left in the audience. Doing a film that wasn’t meant for commercial success but to stand against a social evil makes an actor realise that they can use their voice for a good cause, says Shraddha. “Actors do have the power, and we can use it the right way. So I go home feeling a little at peace, and if one person got educated about manual scavenging through the movie, I would say that’s great. Some people would raise their eyebrows because a film like that may not work commercially, but I play the game differently.”
She, however, asserts that she now wants commercial success as well, which reminds me of something she told The Hindu several years ago: “Acting in a commercial film has its perks — crazy stardom, crazy money and frequent trips abroad — but why would I aspire for something I’m not cut out for?” It’s a strong statement, especially considering how the film industry constantly reminds actors to juggle all hats to survive.
Shraddha laughs, hearing herself. “When you don’t have a mentor, or you can’t afford a manager in the beginning, you make decisions by yourself. But I disagree with that Shraddha today; I am not that person anymore. I don’t want to limit myself or think that I can’t aspire to be someone just because it didn’t work out in the past. I do deserve stardom, fame, many international trips, and lots of money,” she says with a wide grin.
She now has the reputation as the one who bravely takes on roles where the character expresses her vulnerabilities and strives to overcome those over the course of the story. “It’s also a selfish decision because when I choose a vulnerable character who is very real and flawed, the audience also relates to them and cheers for them. Maybe someone sees themselves in you on screen,” she says, adding that it’s also because of how directors see her as the actor who chooses roles written with depth. “But I enjoy it, and I will keep choosing such roles.”
Shraddha Srinath on travelling: “I travel whenever I find time. I don’t consciously say no to work to travel. It’s something I really enjoy doing, and is a privilege — to be able to do it, afford it, to have the interest in doing it, and to have done it as a kid growing up. So, yeah, it’s really one of the reasons I earn money.”
Shraddha’s list of dream travel destinations: “Iceland and New Zealand for the landscapes, and Japan, for the culture.”
Shraddha on her love for food: “I love to eat. It is the reason that I look and feel happy. I have now understood the balance of life — food, working out, and good mental health are three essentials that take care of me.”
Shraddha’s favourite series from recent times: Adolescence, When Life Gives You Tangerines, The Studio, and Severance.
Shraddha Srinath
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan B/The Hindu
Shraddha has always expressed how one of the joys of her profession is meeting new people. Growing up as an army kid, she was exposed to different cultures, and she is also quite the travel bug. But being in an industry where you are constantly under the spotlight can be draining, and Shradhha reveals that it does get overwhelming at times. “Because you are always looking at yourself through a magnifying glass. Which is why, after the shoot, I go straight home; home is the grounding space where I return to reality. Sometimes, the excesses can take away the focus from what you really came here to do. Of course, networking is a part of the job, and, of course, maybe parties are a part of the job. But if it’s causing you unnecessary stress or you feel overwhelmed, it’s okay to back off a bit and come back when you’re fresh for it,” she says.
As the conversation veers back to The Game, I ask her about a sensitive topic that an arc revolving around a young woman in the series speaks about — cybersecurity, and the harms that young women face on the internet. Shraddha mentions something she heard from a child psychologist about Netflix’s Adolescence as a tip to young women and parents. “She said, ‘Make the space at home safe enough for a child to come and talk to you, and don’t constantly keep shaming social media as a dangerous space.’ Which is to say that you should tell them ‘stranger danger’ and all of that, but also give them the courage to say ‘I messed up.’ The more you demonise something, the more you create negative hype around something, which in turn, makes the kids more curious.” She does feel scared for the current generation. “I feel like the world is evil, and our children are so pure. We need stringent measures, and we need to make the internet a safer space.”
The Game: You Never Play Alone is currently streaming on Netflix
