Originally from Kolkata, Shalini Kapoor has been in Mumbai for the past eight years. Shailini's career started with ‘Kudrat' alongside Akshay Khanna, but her big screen dream bombed at the box office.

Following this Shalini stepped into the small screen and has done important roles in 'Kkusum', 'Solaah Singaar', where she portrayed a negative character, and 'Ardhangini'. Now, she is the new face of ‘Jai Maa Durga', a show produced by Prem Sagar of Sagar Arts.

Q. How has been the experience of working in Prem Sagar's 'Jai Maa Durga'?
A. So far, it has been very wonderful. It is one of the best roles of my life and I am so glad to have bagged it.

Q. How did you land up with this role?
A. As the usual format of our industry's casting, I had to go through the usual rounds of auditions. Maybe I was apt for the role and got it.

Q. What is the focus of the story in this show?
A. As the name suggests, this show centers around Maa Durga' and all her ‘mahimas' and all that she does to save the world. We want to give a message through this show. Also, we Indians are God fearing; especially the North Indians worship ‘Maa Durga' mostly.

Q. Don't you think that the show would have got the perfect launch if it had been aired around Durga Puja?
A. Ideally, yes. But this is also a good time as show is launched around Christmas and the New Year. We hope this show will be a success.

Q. We have seen in movies like 'Jai Santoshi Maa' where the track of the Goddess was less focused. What is the scenario here?
A. I have not seen the edited version, but whatever I have seen till now, ‘Maa Durga's ‘entry is 4-5 times in one hour's slot. I feel that full justice has been done with my track in this show.

Q. What else is keeping you busy?
A. Right now, I am working on this show and ‘Ardhangini'.

Q. Would you like to talk about the other works you have done so far?
A. I started with a film with Akshay Khanna called ‘Kudrat' and ‘Sapoot' and a lot of other films. I did films with Mithun Chakroborty as well as a few Bhojpuri and Gujarati films. After that I concentrated on my television career with comic serials and shows like 'Solah Singaar', 'KKusum' and 'Ardhangini'.

Q. What is your educational background?
A. I am a graduate in psychology and I feel it has helped me a lot in acting. It helps as it is about the study of the mind and human behavior and here in acting we have to enact humans only. So, it has been of great help.

Q. Do you remember any interesting incident that has happened on your sets?
A. There has not been much of that on the sets as I am shooting my track independently till now. However, I will like to share one incident that happened on the audition day when hundreds of girls were called for the audition.

They gave the audition without the 'Mukut' (crown), as it was not ready. When I arrived at 12 noon after shooting for 'Ardhangini', the crown came and I was the first one to wear the 'Mukut' and give the screen test.

I believe it was sheer destiny that I am doing this role today. It was like Cinderella, where who ever fits into the 'Mukut', gets the role. -Sonu Anand