Singer-actress Amika Shail was born and brought up in Kolkata. She has worked in TV shows like Udaan, Divya Drishti and Vayu Pari. She was also part of the Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani starrer Laxxmi. She will be next seen in Chattis Aur Mayna on Disney+Hotstar. The Kolkata Mail correspondent caught up with the talented singer-actress in an exclusive chat about her recent works. Excerpts…

How did you start your journey as an actress?

Amika Shail- I would say that I had an amazing journey so far.

I started singing at the age of 5. Since I am from Bengal and my mother is a singer, as a child, I was always inspired by her. When I turned 5, I started my training in classical singing. My mother was my first teacher. This is how my journey as a singer began.

I got into professional singing after I shifted to Bombay post my Graduation. But prior to that, I was a part of a lot of reality shows. So Bombay was like a second home to me which I visited frequently to participate in singing reality shows like Sa re ga ma, Little Champs, Amul Star Voice of India, Bharat ki Shaan, etc.

Once I shifted to Bombay post my graduation I took to singing as my career.

It has been more than 7-8 years that I am into singing. I have sung for movies, I have sung for music albums, I have released my own music albums as well. a lot of them. I have my own YouTube channel which has like 80k+ subscribers. So I was fully into singing and then acting happened accidentally. Now it has been 2 years that I am into acting. The acting journey began with a musical show. They needed a singer-actor for that show and they approached me. I went for an audition but did not get selected then. It was also because I was not ready as an actor at that time. But yes this was my first baby step into the world of acting and then I groomed myself for it.

Although I did not get selected for that; it opened the doors to the world of acting for me. My first show as an actor was Udaan on Colors TV. I never auditioned for this show in specific. I auditioned for the production house though and months later I was selected for this show basis the previous audition.

Since then there has never been a halt and I have been a part of a lot of TV shows. My last show on TV was Vayu Pari on Sab TV.

The same goes for web series. They just came to me one after the other and then I was also lucky enough to be a part of Laxmmi along with Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani.

When it comes to television I have also been a part of a lot of ad films.

With the rise of OTT platforms in the country I was fortunate enough to be a part of a number of web series Like Mirzapur 2, Mask Man, Gandi Baat 5, and many more. I am looking forward to the release of 3 new web series which include Chattis aur Mayna on Disney + Hotstar, Video Call, and Nachaniya on 2 new OTT platforms.

Also, the kind of work that I have been part of is really amazing and the acting journey has been fabulous till now.

Tell us about your characters in Chattis aur Mayna and Video Call.

Amika Shail- Chattis aur Mayna is my next series which is slated for release on Disney + Hotstar.

Directed by Shraddha Pasi, the series revolves around the story of 3 female friends who entertain people in villages with dance performances

It also features actors such as Vikram Singh Chauhan, Sandeepa Dhar, Nimai Bali, Deepak Qazir, etc

I play the character of this girl called Dhaani who is also the second female lead of the series.

So as I have mentioned that the story of the series revolves around 3 female friends. All three of them are village dancers but their personalities are quite opposite of each other. If we talk about Dhaani in particular then she is a naïve village belle and lives in her fantasy land. Although she is a dancer yet she doesn’t want to pursue it as her profession. She wants to get married and have a family, romance her prince charming and live in her dream world.

She even tried to convince her best friend to give up her carrier ambitions and get married.

So in all, we can say that Dhaani is a very bubbly and full-of-life kind of person who is not very ambitious about her dancing carrier.

Video Call revolves around the concept and has love and betrayal built into the story – it is very different from the horror love stories that we have seen till now. Horror is an interesting genre that gives immense scope to experiment and build up the stories. I hope horror aficionados like the series.

I played the lead role in the series and it happens to be my first horror film.

You have worked in Laxxmi opposite Kiara and Akshay. How was the experience?

Amika Shail- I have shared the screen with Akshay Kumar in the movie. The complete sequence that I shot with Akshay sir is memorable. I play the role of one of the antagonists’ girlfriends.

I am completely smitten by the kind of person Akshay Kumar is. What could have been better than sharing the screen space with one of the most loved superstars of the Hindi Film Industry? That too in my first ever feature film itself. So even though it was a small role in the movie I don’t think twice before accepting the role. I was super excited about it. I was looking forward to watching it on the silver screen though.

You are a singer too. Whom did you train under?

Amika Shail- Yes just like every Bengali household, I got the initial training in singing from my mother. So my mother was my first teacher. When I started taking professional training, I learned under Manjushri Pattanayak, Kaushik Bhattacharya, and Nanda Das.

Will we get to see you acting in the Bengali web series or films in the future?

Amika Shail- I have grown up watching Bengali movies, I would definitely love to be a part of a Bengali film or web series in the future. Being a Bengali myself it will definitely be great to be a part of the Bengali industry. It is known for its rich storytelling and we have seen some brilliant actors/directors coming out from the Bengali Film industry. It will be an honor to be a part of it. I would love to see myself as a Bengali actor on screen.

What are your upcoming projects?

Amika Shail- I believe in going with the flow. I have never had a checklist to myself. Things just happened to me one after the other and I am happy and content with the way life has unfolded itself for me.

So I do not believe in a lot of planning. I just take the projects as and when they come to me and if I am comfortable doing that particular kind of show.

Singing happened and then acting. Once I entered the world of acting there has been no looking back for me. I was roped into one project after another. Yes, I do believe in grooming myself for the carrier I have chosen. And therefore I give in a lot of effort into being fit and looking good on screen.

I do wish to see myself on the top in the industry.

If we talk about my upcoming projects I have few web series lined up for release. I will talk about them when the time is right. My immediate release is this web series called Chattis aur Mayna on Disney + Hotstar and another one titled Video call which will be released on a new OTT platform called Cine Prime. It is a Horror series.

Coincidentally another of my upcoming series on Tamasha is also titled Nachaniya. I play the main lead in this one.

Have you signed any new films?

Amika Shail- Oh I haven’t signed any new films yet. The last was Laxxmi. But I am definitely looking forward to some new projects. By God’s grace will lock something new soon.

How has the pandemic affected you as an artist?

Amika Shail- God has been kind that I could be a part of a lot of shows both on the web and television.

My family has been a constant support to me during these days. The entire period of lockdown was very frustrating for me. I am a workaholic and I do not like sitting at home. But with no option at hand, we had to wait till the unlock happened and shoot permissions were granted by the government. I was elated to be back on the sets and in front of the camera.

I am grateful that I received these opportunities to be a part of shows like Mirzapur 2 and movies like Laxxmi.

I believe as an artist you should also know the art of realizing the opportunities that come your way and giving your 100% in order for them to fructify.

I just can’t be thankful enough for this.

But as an actor who is just in the initial years of their career, I sometimes feel that the precious period of my life is going in vain due to the lockdown imposed. We can shoot and a lot of projects are on hold and getting delayed because of it.

Wishing Amika all the best for her future works!!