‘Sukhee’ Director Sonal Joshi On Working With Shilpa Shetty: Initially, I Was Nervous But Her Positive Personality Made Me Comfortable

'Sukhee' starring Shilpa Shilpa marks the directorial debut of Sonal Joshi. It is a slice-of-life story of Sukhpreet Kalra aka Sukhee (Shilpa Shetty), a Punjabi housewife. The trailer released recently and it shows how she is fed up with her monotonous life, and goes to Delhi to reconnect with her friends at her school's reunion. 'Sukhee' is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar's T-Series, and Vikram Malhotra of  Abundantia Entertainment. The film is all set to hit the theatres on September 22.  

Ahead of the release of 'Sukhee', Garima Das had a conversation with Sonal where she spoke at length about how the concept came into her mind, casting Shilpa Shetty and her working experience with her.  

Sonal said, ''We all have different stories as storytellers. The first thought had come to me from my mother. I have grown up observing and watching her and in this story, I always saw her and that's how it developed. My team of writers tried to incorporate certain character nuances, and certain incidents from her life. So, the story is really special and personal for me.'' 

She added, ''When we used to read the script after writing, there was a perfect balance of humour and emotion and it was relatable. Especially it's a feel-good genre. There is a wholesome feeling which I really like. That's how we started working on it and ended up making this.'' 

''This is really a heartfelt story for me because I have seen this in every household. To make this my first film happened because there were people believing in it and I am glad that eventually, I have made this my first film,'' she said further.  

Asked if Shilpa was her first choice to play the lead right from the beginning, Sonal shared, ''To be honest when I work on a story or a script, I usually don't think of actors. I think it's always good to think of the characters, and their world and make them into real-life characters. Initially, I didn't have anyone in mind but when I was working on the story, I happened to be at home at that time. I made my mother listen to the story as I wanted her feedback and also I thought she is the kind of person who was going to enjoy the story. My mom happens to be a fan of reality shows and at that time Shilpa ma'am was either the judge of Super Dancer or India's Got Talent. I remember mom saying Shilpa would fit into the role. In my head, it was like ma'am was on a break and she was not doing films. I didn't know if she would be interested in doing films. But when I went to my producer, coincidentally he also was having the same thought. We approached ma'am and luckily she also liked the script. That's how eventually I think every script has its destiny and the actors it is supposed to be made with and that's how everything fell into place.'' 

'Sukhee' is Sonal's first feature film and that too with a star like Shilpa. So, initially, she was nervous but the actress made her comfortable with her love and warmth.  

Sonal said, ''I was nervous because I was going to work with a star. She is such a senior actor and has been in the industry for 30 years now and it's my first feature film. So, obviously, there was a little nervousness but anyone who has met Shilpa ma'am knows how she is. Her personality is so positive, she is so full of warmth and love. She will crack jokes and break the ice and everybody becomes comfortable. I think that helped me a lot to be myself in front of her to be able to convey what I want from the film, script, the character and be able to explain to her what my vision is. So, all of that the way she behaved with me really made me comfortable and eventually, once we started working on the film it was amazing. It was a great working experience and collaboration and hats off for her commitment and dedication towards the film.''  

 ‘Sukhee’ also stars Chaitanya Chaudhary, Amit Sadh, Kusha Kapila and Pavleen Gujral among others in pivotal roles.