Young Artiste Shree Resembles Madhubala
by Indian Observer Post
When you see her work on the social media platforms such as Instagram, you will be shocked to see a young girl’s pictures which closely resembles to the yesteryear Venus icon - Madhubala. Her body, her eyes, her hair style and half open speaking lips and different poses and postures – all gives a clear glimpse of great actress Madhubala. In other images, you will also find her a very sobre, serious and sometimes also a sensuous looking girl. Being a dedicated theatre artist, she knows that she will have to play various roles in her career and she is fully prepared for that. She is a new emerging face of the entertainment industry and getting popular day by day with her charismatic name –‘Shree’. Some people also know her full name- Shree Upadhyaya, and mostly call her as ‘Shree’ only. Shree has gracefully made her persona and presence felt through several mediums of the Indian industry like dramatics, advertisements, fashion shows and print campaigns. In her own words, she has completed 135 projects till now. Here are excerpts of an email Interview with Shree taken by Indian Observer Post correspondent.
Q: So, Shree, how do you describe yourself?
Ans: Well I'm an artiste who's been working in the mediums of fashion and performing arts while enjoying every bit of it.
Q: How different is theatre acting from modeling?
Ans: They are two distinctive mediums of the entertainment industry. Both are hectic in their own ways. While theatre requires rehearsals every day for a month before a show, fashion shows require one or two days of practice whereas fashion shoots require you to perform at the spur of a moment.
Q: Has anyone told you that you're a replica of famous yesteryear icon Madhubala?
Ans: I'm blushing as you ask this; it's the biggest compliment for any girl as she was truly one of the most divine faces to have graced the Indian cinema. Having said that, yes people say I resemble her and Maharani Gayatri Devi, I feel it's an honour to look like them. They were symbolic of elegance, dignity and beauty, which I aspire to be.
Q: So tell us more about your journey?
Ans: I've worked since I was as young as 16 (while studying) in performing arts with eminent personalities like Barry John, Arvind Gaur, Kuljeet Singh and Tannishtha Chatterjee. I was in London for a year and a half where I pursued diplomas in BSC Psychology and Musical theatre from City University London and Citylit respectively. I did some more plays in English and Hindi when I was back. Modeling happened purely by chance when I was helping a friend's sister. After that there was no looking back and I got many good offers with brands like Nutrilite, MTR and Saint Gobain. I also take my social responsibility as an artiste very seriously and one of my print campaign on domestic violence which was a public service ad, got a lot of coverage from foreign media like The Guardian (Uk), BBC (Spain) and also support from the United Nations. As a college girl I did a short film named; "Denude" on sexual harassment where I played 5 characters including an old lady and a man. This student film of New York Film Academy (NYFA) was screened in the reputed Warner Bros. L.A.
Q: Any plans to enter films or television?
Ans: I'm keen on doing very good work and challenging roles in all mediums. It's also a dream to be part of international cinema.
Q: What are your fond memories from childhood?
Ans: My childhood was so much about food, books and dance. I used to live to eat and create writings or choreographies.
Q: Wow! So what's your favourite food?
Ans: I love my chicken biryani, spaghetti aglio olio and chicken momos. I also love pani puri and ice creams.
Q: And what's your favourite book?
Ans: Blank slate by Steve pinker and Shadow lines by Amitav Ghosh. I was a magazine editor in school and college so I'm generally inclined towards good literature.
Q: What all dance forms are you aware of as a student?
Ans: I was a professional jazz dancer of 4 years and I also know beginner levels of Kathak, Odissi, belly dance and Salsa.
Q: Any current film you liked?
Ans: I loved Padmaavat, watched it thrice for the climax and absolutely rejoiced all the performances. I also loved The Post by Steven Spielberg; Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks were fabulous in it.
Q: Who are the actors who've inspired you?
Ans: There are many, yet these names have inspired me the most- Al Pacino, Pankaj Kapur, Meryl Streep, Tabu, Sri Devi, Madhubala, Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone.
Q: You must be very sad with Sri Devi's demise then.
Ans: Absolutely, it was so shocking and heart wrenching. I wrote a eulogy after her demise too, very few actors leave such an impact on people like she did.
Q: What are your dream roles?
Ans: I want to act like Francesca (Meryl Streep's character) - Bridges of madison county, Anju, Manju- Chalbaaz, Amy (Rosamund Spike's character) - Gone girl, Ghazala- Haider, Rani Padmini- Padmaavat
Q: And your dream directors?
There are many, including Anurag Basu, Imtiaz Ali, Shoojit Sircar, Clint Eastwood, Christopher Nolan, Vishal Bhardwaj and Rakesh Omprakash Mehra.
Q: If not an actor, what would you have been?
Ans: I would've been a psychologist, or a playwright/screenwriter or an entrepreneur
Q: Any tips for new and young artists?
Ans: Be your own light, carve your own niche; build your own opportunities.
Q: Great, what are your hobbies?
I love doing yoga, taking walks, reading books and meditating.
Q: So zen at a young age, what aspired you towards spirituality?
Ans: Peacefulness and love; which I get after praying to Meher Baba. It's very important to be centered in this industry.
Q: Lastly, what do you think of the current affairs?
Ans: I think there needs to be more provisions for protection of children. I'm trying my best as an activist by writing detailed proposals and petitions, all I want is complete safety of young children.