Shriya Pilgaonkar: I don’t want to be boxed into righteous roles

Shriya Pilgaonkar has steadily built a reputation in the OTT space for portraying grounded, layered characters. But with that visibility has come a growing perception — one she’s now keen to challenge.

In a chat with Mumbai Mirror, the actress, who was recently seen as cop Devika Rathore in Chhal Kapat - The Deception, says, “The general perception is that I’m associated with roles that are righteous. Once I realised that, I knew I had to break it. My focus now is to be reimagined. For that, I want to work with makers who see me differently.”She shares that in an upcoming project, despite it being a guest appearance, she is playing a part very different from anything she has done so far.

She says, “People are going to say, ‘Oh, how come you thought of her for it?’ It’s a part that’s on the opposite end of the spectrum from what I’ve done. Something no one would have imagined me in.”On the need to break moulds and surprise audiences, she adds, “That’s what keeps me going — the attempt to get people to see me in new ways. You often get offered similar roles because you’re not looked at beyond a particular genre. While I don’t feel entirely typecast, I do notice shades of it in the work that comes my way.”

She further notes that she is no longer driven by the need for constant external validation. She says, “I’m in a phase where I believe it’s important to stay in your power and not constantly chase validation. That can be a slippery path. I don’t know where it will go, but I’m attempting to create something for myself with like-minded people.”Shriya has appeared in films across multiple languages, including Ekulti Ek, Fan, House Arrest, Haathi Mere Saathi, and Dry Day. She has also been part of several web series such as Mirzapur, Crackdown, Guilty Minds, The Broken News, and Taaza Khabar.