'I felt I deserved a better send-off' - Shilpa Anand

Shilpa Anand is itching to return to Bollywood. In a frank interview to Telly Buzz, she talks about her Star One show and beyond.

What have you been doing since you quit Dill Mill Gayye?
I am feeling so much free. I have hit the gym for first time in a year. It’s a great feeling to work out. I need to tone my body and get back into shape to suit filmy requirements. I have even started doing gymnastics and yoga for the same. Very soon I will be getting a new portfolio done. Rest assured, you guys will be the first to get access to the new look Shilpa.

Have you short listed any film?
I am in talks with a number of producers, let’s see what happens. I would prefer to do both English off beat films as well as out and out commercial flicks.
Would you be comfortable with a bold image in films?
I am quite modern in my dressing style. I will even wear a bikini for a swim. In fact it was quite difficult adorning a salwar kameez all the time in Dill Mill Gayye. However, this does not mean I will wear outfits which make me look cheap. Plus I will always maintain a delicate balance between a girl-next-door and the sexy girl look, for the plain jane image is important for an actor to connect with the audience.
Now to the big question, why did you quit Dill Mill Gayye?
Look, I wanted to move on. Dill Mill Gayye is a closed chapter as far as I am concerned. Having said that, it would have been better had we parted ways on more friendlier terms. I felt I deserved a better send-off, for it was my acting in those romantic sequences which made the show very popular. I singly handedly lifted the channel’s fortunes.

So what really went wrong there?
See, what really hurt me was the constant accusations that I had skipped shooting and gone off to Goa. Everybody deserves a New Year vacation including me. Even then I had asked them for off 2/3 months in advance.

We have already seen you in films down south. What made you take to television then and now what makes you go back to movies?
As for films, it always the logical next step for an actor. The only reason why I took up TV in the first case was for experience. Working in a daily soap gives you lot of acting lessons. It's not easy learning dialogue after dialogue. Further, it’s much easier doing films. You do one schedule and then take a break. Out here, you are working round the clock.

Back to Dill Mill Gayye, do you think Sukriti Khandpal will fit in your shoes?
It will be quite a challenge for her. She is completely different in look and personality to me. Let’s wait a few days before taking a call on her.