From Midnight masala to Shakeela Chechi

She was considered the next Silk Smitha, and for years, catered to the fantasies of men across the country. Such was the success of Shakeela in south Indian cinema, especially Mollywood, that industry pandits say that her films grossed more than those starring biggies like Mammootty or Mohanlal. But when Kannada filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh cast her in his film Monalisa, her ‘image’ was the last thing on his mind, getting her to play a comedy role as a teacher.Ten years later, the director-actress duo are collaborating again, this time for Indrajit’s Luv U Alia, in which he is getting her to play a nurse. “It’s been exactly a decade since I last worked with Indrajit. It is such a pleasure being on his set. This time around, too, he has given me a 100% comedy role. I share a lot of screen space with Sadhu Kokila and just shooting our scenes has me in splits. So imagine what he will bring to the screen. This is also the first time that I am getting to work with Ravi sir (V Ravichandaran). I am a huge fan, but when I met him, I was so scared, I just could not tell him how much I like his work,” says the actress, who is shooting for the film in Bengaluru. Her schedule with Indrajit’s film apart, what Shakeela is looking forward to doing in the city is reconnecting with her housemates on the Kannada reality show she was a part of. “I have to call Santosh and Srujan (Lokesh). If time permits I want to visit them too,” she says. The TV show, incidentally, is perceived to have given the actress an image makeover of sorts. “I wouldn’t exactly call it an image makeover, but there is no denying that I have a lot more female fans these days. These days, everyone calls me Shakeela chechi, something that Santosh started off on the show, and people wonder why I left early on. It certainly makes me feel more accepted,” says Shakeela. The fact that her autobiography is in shelves has also helped her reach out to the masses. “I have bared my soul in the book. It is entirely my story and is nothing but the truth. The book details my life, especially my 16 years in the film industry, why I didn’t do well in school and failed Class 10, how I ended up doing the wrong kind of films, and how my parents went wrong in guiding me. Its raw content apart, the book has a message for parents about how they should take care of their children,” says the actress, who is looking forward to directing a Kannada film soon. “By the end of January, I am looking at making a film with Santosh, which cannot be an action-thriller or comedy. It will have to be a romantic entertainer, and we are still looking for the right script,” she says. Now that she has made films in Malayalam and Telugu, is Shakeela looking at making the move from in front of the camera to behind it? “Not really. But direction has always been a passion. I now understand the nuances of filmmaking and there are certain things I want to bring to the screen. This will be my creative outlet,” she signs off.