Looking at the positive slant in her career graph, one would be tempted to think that Shahana Goswami has been taking careful, calculated steps in Bollywood. After all, she debuted in a film directed by Naseeruddin Shah, then went on to work with the likes of Farhan Akhtar, Shah Rukh Khan and Mahesh Bhatt, and even bagged several awards in the “best supporting actress” category. But more than strategy, her choices have consistently been premised on self-belief. She says, “I need to believe in the concept behind the project more than the length of my character. As of now, the leading heroine space has not excited me enough. There is very little of what I believe in.”
Fresh from the success of Ra.One, Shahana will be taking a slight detour from cinema and focus her energies on an upcoming musical that has been put together by Chivas Studio. “It’s a collaboration of different art forms, being directed by Rohan Sippy. The musical is set in yesteryear Bombay, during the jazz era of the 60s where I play a well known jazz artiste,” says the actress about her first theatrical venture. “I enjoy singing and right now I am learning how to train my voice to be able to sing on a live platform. It’s a nervous exercise, but I’m sure once I get used to it, it will be fun,” she adds.