Desk Report,
If I leave the girl on this line, she will be ruined.
Shayla Sathi: I will especially talk about ‘Matir Meye’. The play is a great experience for me. It tells the story of every girl, including me. Women are represented in the story. Because, here, every woman has to struggle to stand on her own feet. She has to face various obstacles from society and family. I want to highlight the story of the journey of women in society more. That is why I act more in women-centric stories. Just like the story of the play, I have had to overcome various obstacles as a woman. Ever since I was studying drama at Jagannath University, a class of people started saying various things. What will I do if I study drama, how is this a problem for girls?
If I leave the girl on this line, she will be ruined.
Later, when I started acting, I still had to struggle with the surrounding conditions. No one in my family wanted me to act. It even happened that once my parents did not speak to me for about a month and a half. We had to grow up listening to many people’s opinions. You see, it is difficult to make a decision about a girl in a family. After I came into acting, many people may have said, don’t let your girl act. They said many negative things about acting. But I liked the cultural environment since childhood. That’s why I once wrote my name on my own. Later, as time went by, my family members saw that there was no change in me. Despite acting, I am still a friend. There were many positive things in me, not negative ones. Gradually, they realized that I was not doing anything bad. Now they are my fans. Follow
Prothom Alo:
Most of your plays are trending.
Shayla Sathi: I work in the hope of getting the love of the audience (laughs). When someone praises me, I feel more inspired, I feel like the audience is watching my work, I get inspired to do good work.
Prothom Alo:
Are the two plays that are currently trending special to you for some reason?
Shayla Sathi: I will especially talk about ‘Matir Meye’. The play is a great experience for me. It tells the story of every girl, including me. Women are represented in the story. Because, here, every woman has to struggle to stand on her own feet. I have to face various obstacles in society and family. I want to highlight the journey of women in society more. That is why I act more in women-centric stories.

Actress Shayla Sathi. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Prothom Alo:
What was your struggle as a woman like in the story of the play?
Shayla Sathi: Just like in the story of the play, I had to overcome various obstacles as a woman. When I was studying drama at Jagannath University, a certain class of people started saying various things. What will I do if I study drama, what is this for girls? Later, when I started acting, I still had to struggle with the surrounding conditions. No one in my family wanted me to act. It even happened that once my parents did not talk to me for about a month and a half.
Prothom Alo:
How did you convince them?
Shayla Sathi: We have to grow up listening to many people. You will see that it is difficult to make a decision about a girl in a family. After I came into acting, many people may have said, don’t let your daughter act. They said a lot of negative things about acting. But since childhood, I liked the cultural environment. That’s why I once wrote my name on my own accord. Later, as time went by, my family members saw that there was no change in me. Despite acting, I am still a friend. There were many positive things in me, not negative ones. Gradually, they realized that I was not doing anything bad. Now they are my fans.

Actress Shayla Sathi. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Prothom Alo:
What do my parents say now after watching the play?
Shayla Sathi: Now my biggest critics are my parents. They were the first to criticize me after watching the play ‘Matir Meye’. They only said one thing, I have to work on a story that will be useful to the people of the society. Secondly, I have to work on a story that is seen with the family. There should be nothing vulgar in the story. I try to do that.
Prothom Alo:
Why are you only seen with artists from one genre?
Shayla Sathi: I want to act with all artists. But I started with a group called Prank King. They were YouTube-centric. I was called a YouTuber. I heard that many people in the mainstream of drama don’t like me. I felt bad about it in the beginning. But now I think that if I have the qualifications, I will work with everyone one day. Sometimes I tried for more than a year, but it didn’t work that well. I saw in most of the scripts that they try to force laughter. You have to speak loudly. Why should I work in a farcical story to be trending? Maybe I don’t fit in there. That’s why I work in my own way.
