"I celebrate independence in film.
Sheena Chohan is a talented actress who has carved a name for herself in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu cinema.
She has also dabbled in Hollywood and digital content.
Independence Day in India falls on August 15 and is in commemoration of India gaining its freedom from the British regime in 1947.
Recognising this, Sheena Chohan divulged working with some of the most talented names in independent cinema.
She said: “On Independence Day, we celebrate freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Ambedkar, Ammu Swaminathan and all the millions of Indians who stood up for our right to our own country, our nationality and our freedom.
“But in the same breath, I celebrate independence in film – millions of artists who, in many similar ways to the independence movement, refuse to be tied down by the dominant system, loudly voice their opinions, whatever the result and face personal hardship and ruin, for the sake of the freedom of controlling their destiny.
“As part of that celebration, I want to tell some tales from the sets of my decade of adventures with some of India’s finest independent filmmakers – the freedom fighters of cinema!”
Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Sheena Chohan worked with Mostofa Sarwar Farooki in the Bangladeshi film, Ant Story (2014).
In the film, she played Rima.
In preparation for the film, Mostofa assigned a dialect coach for Sheena with three months of script reading.
Sheena relished creating a character and completely surrendered to Mostofa’s vision.
The result was a powerful yet subtle performance.
Buddhadeb Dasgupta
Sheena collaborated with Buddhadeb Dasgupta on Mukti (2012) and Patralekha (2012).
Their work together involved a submergence into the world of Rabindranath Tagore.
Sheena found herself entrusted with Buddhadeb’s books on Tagore’s life and work.
She was required to internalise his poetry and bring it to life through the creation of one of his characters.
Using expressive eyes and emotive presence, Sheena Chohan created a character that resonated with the poetic and historical richness of Tagore’s legacy.
Jayaraj
In 2011, Sheena Chohan joined forces with the seven-time National award-winning filmmaker Jayaraj for The Train.
In this thrilling action film, Sheena played the wife of Kedarnath (Mammootty).
Sheena met Jayaraj in Mumbai where the director briefed her to infuse the character with authenticity.
Cementing their tremendous working rapport, Sheena Chohan and Jayaraj created a character based on a deep study of Malayalam women.
Sheena utilised her skills from the theatre and fulfilled Jayaraj’s vision and masterminded a layered and cultural character.
Aditya Om
With the upcoming Sant Tukaram, Sheena Chohan will make her Hindi film debut.
Directed by Aditya Om, the film will see Sheena opposite Subodh Bhave.
Aditya is a director known for his attention to detail which correlated well with Sheena’s commitment to portraying her characters.
She visited villages and fields where she interacted with the women in those areas, close to where Sant Tukaram used to live.
Aditya infused Sheena with guidance which helped her unleash her acting prowess, peppering it with nuance and depth.
While in the US, Sheena was presented with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award by President Joe Biden.
This was in recognition of her work in human rights and education.
As the South Asian ambassador, she spread awareness of equality to 170 million people.
For her tremendous body of work, Sheena Chohan is apt to celebrate Independence Day.
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