Shaylee Krishen: I wanted to flirt with Raima Sen on The Last Hour sets

Kashmir-based actress Shaylee Krishen is guaranteed to be in the news throughout the year. With over four releases across languages in 2021, the actress is sure to catch the audience’s attention one way or another.

In an interview with OTTplay, Shaylee talks about working with her co-stars in her debut web series The Last Hour and her films with ace cinematographer and director Santosh Sivan.

How did you bag The Last Hour?

I was in Kashmir when I got the audition call. I came down to Mumbai and my first meeting with director Amit (Kumar) sir was quite interesting. I had met a few directors before who would ask me the typical questions like, ‘Can I dance or do something extra?’ He, on the other hand, looked into my eyes and asked me, ‘What do you think about death?’ I was taken aback, but told him how I felt and we went ahead with the audition. He and his wife took my screen test.

During the screen test, the two scenes felt so different and out of the box. I was very inquisitive to know what this is all about because I wasn’t told about the whole show. I knew about Pari, of course, but only for the purpose of the audition.

When I heard the story after I got the part, it seemed to be really different. I got to know about Shamans, which was quite interesting. We have seen a lot of love stories, action, drama, but for the first time I was, as an audience, curious about the show and that made me decide to be part of it.

Being a Kashmiri working in Malayalam and Hindi cinema, what were the challenges?

There was a point where I felt I was never going to be part of the film industry because I tried and failed. Then cinematographer Ravi Varman showed my photo to Santosh Sivan, who offered me his film Sin. At first. I thought it was a joke but then it got serious. I had always been dancing to the songs of his movie, Asoka. So, I was quite thrilled when he offered me the Indo-American film, which will release worldwide. It is also India’s first film which was shot in virtual reality.

He helped me a lot because I used to be confused about where to look, but his inputs made me comfortable. After that I did The Last Hour. I recently did two more films with two National Award-winning directors taking my tally to three. They are so sure about their own craft that they don’t doubt their talent. I just got lucky.

Tell me about your character Pari in The Last Hour.

Pari is not a normal college-going student. She’s different from all of them. For now, I can say, the character is someone who is standing in darkness, thinking and doubting everything that is happening in her life. She has a lot of questions, worries and fears. The character has a lot of depth and getting such a character to play in your first web series is a rare opportunity.

How did you prepare for the character?

Whenever I audition for roles which I don’t relate to, I don’t succeed. It might be because I’m not a trained actor. But Pari is so much like me. She is someone who’s always curious. I am like that in real life. During my first encounter with Amit sir, I asked him more questions than he could answer. The character is something like that.

We just had two days of reading. So, when I asked Amit sir if I should prepare, he just asked me to be myself. In fact, he told me not to act and just behave. I think that’s a really great tip which I will always remember. I also feel that every actor cannot do every role. There needs to be something in you, which you can add to the character.

Tell me about your experience of working with Raima?

I wanted to flirt with her. I was always looking at her face and wanted to pass beautiful comments on her.

What is the update on your Malayalam film Jack & Jill?

It was supposed to release this month, but since the theatres are shut again, it will release next month or in the first week of August in theatres.

What are your other upcoming projects?

My next release after The Last Hour will be Sin, in which I play a warrior princess. So, I have some kickass action in it. I also have another film called Bermuda with the National Award-winning director Rajeev Kumar. After that, I have two Hindi films which I’m really looking forward to. Hopefully the shoot will start soon.