EXCLUSIVE: Shahana Goswami calls seducing scene with Manoj Bajpayee in Despatch interesting & it’s NOT owing to them making out

Critically acclaimed actress Shahana Goswami is known for her compelling performances in films like Rock On and Lipstick Under My Burkha. Renowned for her versatility and depth, she seamlessly blends into diverse roles across Bollywood and international cinema, earning accolades for her impactful and nuanced portrayals. Now, the talented actress is ready for the release of her upcoming crime drama film Despatch, which premieres on 13th December on ZEE5. 

In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, Shahana opened up about her upcoming film Despatch, her character Shweta Bag, working with Manoj Bajpayee, her interesting incidents on sets, Santosh UK’s entry to the Oscars, OTT censorship, and more.

How did you come on board for Despatch? 

Director Kanu Bhel had gotten in touch with me for the film and initially, I was feeling a little greedy and didn’t want to let my first venture with Kanu, whom I admire and really wanted to work with, be on such a smaller character. Kanu just said to ‘think about it once’ and see, because it’ll be a very different experience and something in me just felt like working with Kanu and Manoj Bajpayee; why would I miss it? Even if it was just for four scenes, it was totally worth it.

Any interesting incident that happened on set while working with Manoj Bajpayee?  

I think there’s a scene where she’s trying to convince him back into the relationship. There’s a makeout, and she’s trying to seduce him and bring him back in. We were shooting in the monsoon in Delhi and I have very sensitive skin. So because we were shooting for the whole day, my chin started getting bruised and then we had to keep putting makeup on to cover my chin. Then the next day we had bruises again, and it would keep getting peeled. There was an occupational hazard happening in that scene, but that was the kind of hilarious moment that happened. 

You shared screen space with the versatile Manoj Bajpayee. How was it like working alongside such an experienced actor? 

It was amazing. He’s such a powerhouse and it’s so fascinating to watch him and then to be able to play off him, really find depth in him, find new surprising moments in a scene with each other, through each other. It’s really been a joy. I don’t think there could have been a better way in which I could have asked for a moment because all my scenes are with Manoj and they’re all very intense scenes and I’m kind of like shooting one scene a day. So it was a very concentrated kind of door of getting to really work with each other as actors, which was wonderful.

Can you tell us about your experience at IFFI and the reception the film received? How did the audience respond to your performance?

We just had the Gala premiere but were not there for the Q&A or anything afterwards because we had a press conference happening as well. So unfortunately I didn’t get to hear much, but we showed at MAMI and overall so far there’s been a good response to the film.  Among people that I know who are from the industry who watched the film, they liked the film, and they like my performance. So I’m actually yet to watch the film properly.

Tell us something about your character, Shweta Bag? 

Shweta, you see her basically through the eyes of the protagonist, which is Manoj’s character, Joy. And it’s just depicting one aspect of his life in the middle of everything that she is going through at that time, including the investigation. It’s a marriage that’s kind of on its last leg. I think Anu and Ishani, the writers, brought out this kind of difficult space that people then find themselves in. Because there’s an attempt to want to save things. There’s desperation, despair, anger, hurt, disgust, and hope—all kinds of mixed emotions. In the film, you explore the strong ending of that graph. It’s more about that emotional journey between these two characters and exploring Shweta really as a character.

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You’ve been part of the industry for a while now. How has your journey as an actor evolved over the years? 

I think a great part of being an actor is that it gives you an opportunity to constantly play with your reservoir of your own emotions.  It also becomes a channel, like a cathartic channel, to dispel a lot of maybe unfelt suppressed emotions as well. What it helps me do is understand myself better and understand other people better. It has given me more empathy and compassion. It has made me learn how observing life is your greatest teacher as an actor.  And not just observing, but living, engaging with life and living life is what really allows you to then perform live. 

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Santosh went as the UK’s official entry to the Oscars. Did you expect it’s official entry from the UK?  

No, not at all. I didn’t know that it was even in the running or anything. I was just told when it was already selected and I was in complete shock. Yeah, I mean, I was delighted, of course. And of course, imagine that’s already been there and then I understood that there are many processes and many levels to go through, but still, it was a great surprise that the film gets to be watched by so many people who will be voting.

It gets talked about across so many countries and just the fact that it has been chosen becomes a point of conversation that brings a lot of attention to the film Thank you. It has continued to build on the appreciation that the film gets every time people actually watch it. So it’s been a very, very exciting journey with Santosh. 

Were you not disappointed that it did not go from India but from the UK?  

No, because it is a UK production. It is a BBC and a BFI production. And of course, there’s an Indian initiative in terms of investment and money in it. It’s commissioned by the BBC and the BFI and the director is also a British national. So I don’t think it matters where he produces a film and who makes it and who facilitates it. What’s important is that the story is set in India and it’s an Indian story and an Indian. Director whose story and direction have been appreciated. 

What kind of roles or genres are you excited to explore in the future? 

I would love to be in a hardcore action drama, a great well-written comedy. I would love to be a part of Dune 3. I’ve never played a very dark character so I would love to do that.

Any upcoming projects? 

Now there is a release of Santosh in India at some point in different parts of the world. And 4 years later, which is the Australian TV that I spoke about that is also in the process of finding distribution in India and around the world. Early next year, I’m going to start a few things that are still brewing, so there’s not much to talk about specifically yet. We are also waiting for the release of Despatch. 

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