Sheeba on hiatus: Nobody offered me roles tempting enough to do

Sheeba is returning to films in a full-fledged role after nearly two decades. The artiste, who once shared screen with actors Rajinikanth, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, has two films lined up — Fateh and filmmaker Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.

Sheeba, who has films such as Suryavanshi (1992), Miss 420 (1998) and Dum (2003) to her credit, tells us, “At one point, filmmakers either wanted an 18-year-old heroine or an 80-year-old mother. I wasn’t sitting in either spectrum. Secondly, nobody offered me roles [that were] tempting enough to do.”

The actor is glad that unlike in the ’90s, when the industry was highly dominated by heroes and the heroines, things have changed now. “Earlier, there was no importance given to other characters. But now, each and every role is equally essential to the project. Now, if the hero does not want me as his heroine, there is another important part,” she says, adding that people have realised one man can no longer shoulder a project.

While she was getting the best roles, Sheeba decided to get married. Commenting on how the decision meant an end for her career, Sheeba says, “It was not the nicest thing, but instead of living an unhappy life and cursing everything, I found happiness in whatever came my way. Life was good. I am not a person who likes to invite sorrows in my life. Unnecessarily, I do not want to make myself stressed and upset. So jo aarha hai, wo hi theek hai.” Reflecting on the time she spent with family, the actor says, “I was very content and happy with my children. I utilized that time to learn new creative courses and also became a yoga teacher.My primary focus was my physical fitness and if you look at my Instagram account, you will see a lot of posts around that.”

Another distinct change that has come about in the industry, Sheeba says, is the fact that people on sets are well prepared, with their homework done. “That’s what I saw on Karan Johar’s set as well as the Sonu Sood movie (Fateh). They have done so much background work. In terms of technicalities, they are so much more aware. The craft of acting has also changed. They (makers) want you to be subtle, natural and softer. The way they present the characters has also changed. The movies are larger than life, but the characters are more relatable 1679010203,” she wraps up.