Even though Medha Shankr debuted with Beecham House in 2019, it wasn’t until the surprising success of 12th Fail, four years later, that the actor broke through in Bollywood. Her portrayal of UPSC aspirant Shraddha Joshi earned her acclaim, and her girl-next-door image led many to call her the ‘new national crush’. Medha, who is now set to appear in a starkly different role in her upcoming film, Ginny Wedss Sunny 2, talks to Hindustan Times about her journey so far and the urge to find different roles every time.
‘Ginny is as lovable as Shraddha’
Ginny Wedss Sunny 2, which also stars Avinash Tiwary, features Medha as a young, urban girl who lies her way into an arranged marriage. The 28-year-old actor relishes the challenge of doing something different. Talking about how different the role is from 12th Fail, she says, “If I can do that in a way that convinces people to like me in that image, I want to believe I can convince people to like me as Ginny also. She is just as lovable as Shraddha was.”
Shraddha describes Ginny, her character in the romantic comedy, as a sweet, honest girl who is also impatient. “I related to all these aspects a lot,” says the actor.
‘Was trying to move away from that image’
Ask her if it was a conscious call to move away from the girl-next-door type roles after 12th Fail, and the actor says, “I am really grateful for the kind of work I was offered after 12th Fail, and I continue to be offered. There was no conscious decision not to do that kind of role again, but I won’t deny that I was trying to step away from that image. I have done that (role) successfully, and I have received a lot of love and critical acclaim for it.”
But Medha clarifies that the reluctance to repeat the type of character was not due to any fear of typecasting, but simply because of a desire to challenge herself. “If I do something similar, which I know people want to see, it will be easy. It will be a cakewalk. Then where’s the fun, where’s the challenge,” she says.
Directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, 12th Fail told the story of real IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma (played by Vikrant Massey). Medha played his love interest (and later wife), Shraddha, an IRS officer herself. The film, made on a paltry ₹20 crore budget, earned ₹70 crore worldwide.
About Ginny Wedss Sunny 2
Her upcoming film Ginny Wedss Sunny 2 is written and directed by Prasshant Jha. A spiritual sequel to Ginny Weds Sunny (2020), the film also stars Sudhir Pandey, Lillete Dubey, and Govind Namdev. It releases in theatres on April 24.
