I'd rather wait for right opportunities than do things I don't feel passionate about: Shahana Goswami

New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) Actor Shahana Goswami says she doesn't like to settle for less in life and would rather wait for the right opportunities than do something mediocre just for the sake of it.

It has been a journey of patience and grit for Goswami, who started out in the late 2000s with supporting parts in films such as "Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota", "Rock On!!", "Ra.One" and "Heroine".

In recent years, she has been praised for performances in films and shows such as "Gali Guleiyan", "Bombay Begums" and most recently in Sandhya Suri's Indo-British production "Santosh", which received rave reviews from critics at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.

"I don't like settling for less. I'd rather wait. I'd rather live life. I'd rather travel. I'd rather spend time with people I love than do some half-a** thing that I don't feel passionate about, that doesn't stir my creative juices.

"I don't want to work like that. I'm too idealistic in my passion to want to do something for the sake of it or for money," the actor told PTI in an interview.

Goswami, who currently appears in the Indo-Australian series "Four Years Later", said she can live with "less money" and feels comfortable with the "fluctuations of life".

"So that perhaps then makes room for the right kind of thing to come. When your energy aligns to being decisive of what it doesn't want and what kind of direction it wants to go, then those things start coming your way because you are staying true to your calling and feel pulled towards it." In "Four Years Later", a romance drama show created by Mithila Gupta, the actor features alongside Akshay Ajit Singh.

They essay the roles of Sridevi and Yash, a newlywed couple who navigate an arranged marriage that is interrupted when Yash leaves for a four-year medical trainee-ship in Australia.

"What begins with hope slowly unravels into silence, emotional distance, and isolation. As Sridevi shoulders mounting responsibilities at home, Yash grapples with identity and belonging in a foreign land," read the official logline.

What was most interesting about the show was that it looked at relationships from a perspective that was more nuanced and realistic, the actor said.

"It tells you about the problems of modern-day relationship building in a really realistic way, not in a hyper dramatic way, not in a twists-and-plots kind of way. It was much more natural," she added.

According to the actor, "Four Years Later" also addresses how patriarchy exists in both men and women but it's "so subtle that it's unrecognizable to them".

For Goswami, the character of Sridevi came across as a relatable presence, especially in terms of her desires and aspirations as a modern day woman.

"The one big difference between her and me is that for her love and a relationship and partnership is such a central desire and aspect of her life, which is not my leaning. I'm much more into a larger idea of love, which is friendship, community... there is no distinction between friendship and family, lover, partner and nature. To me, it's all the same." Goswami said the character taught her to be "truly loving" even if the other person doesn't always meet her expectations.

"I'm a very emotional person, and when I was younger, I thought a little bit too much. I cared too much about things and people... And when I get hurt, my heart shuts down...

"And I think that's something that Sridevi really doesn't have. Her heart never shuts down, she's able to be truly loving through every situation. That's something that I learned from her -- to be unconditional in a sense. To really keep the focus on being loving," she said.

"Four Years Later", which also stars Kate Box, Taj Aldeeb, Roy Joseph, and Luke Arnold, started streaming on Lionsgate Play from Friday. PTI RB BK BK