People said I can’t play the lead because of my dark skin tone: Trinayani actress Shruti Das

She is one of the leading ladies of Bengali television industry with a hit show in her kitty and praises from all corners. She can foresee the future and can see the past too. Yes, we are talking about actress Shruti Das. With the power of precognition and TRPs by her side, she made her presence felt with the very first show ‘Trinayani’. But the path wasn’t a bed of roses for the girl from Katwa, Burdwan, who dreamed big.
The conversation started with her favourite topic- Trinayani.“I enjoy playing the character. We share many similarities except for the fact that she can foresee the future. Like Nayan, I have also faced a lot in my life. Just like her, I have longed for acceptance,” she said.
When asked the reason behind the statement, she paused for a brief moment and added, “Since early childhood I heard a lot about my skin tone and look. I cried in front of mom. At times, she used to tell me- tui toh kalo nos, tui shyamla (you aren’t dark, you have a dusky skin tone). I could see the pain in her eyes. Almost nobody showed affection towards me, I never had many friends in school,” she took a pause.
“In the scenes where Dripta or any other family members show affection towards Nayan, tears start rolling down my cheek. I don’t have to use glycerin, it is the same thing I have longed for,” she added. One can sense the emotion as Shruti talks about her personal experience.
“I don’t come from a financially sound family and have seen my parents working hard just for me. I scored well in Higher Secondary exam and dad send me to Kolkata to pursue my graduation. Many people laughed at me and said, it is a sheer dream for a family like us. All my life I have been seeing this…” she said.
But Shruti was determined to make her parents proud. She always had a passion for dance and gradually fell in love with acting too. While pursuing her graduation in English, she joined theatre in 2015. She also started a dance school in Burdwan.
“I wanted to break the stereotypical notion regarding the beauty of an individual and that’s why I started modelling. I have always seen the reflection of beauty in hearts. I never believed in the definition of beauty like others do,” Shruti said.
With the dream of proving herself, Shruti appeared for the audition of ‘Trinayani’. Sahana Dutta, head of a leading production house in Kolkata, who is also writing Trinayani's story, readily denied her in the audition. But she saw something in Shruti which later forced her to call Shruti back.
Interestingly, Shruti, too, believes that she was destined to play Nayan. “I believe, I was destined to play Trinayani,” she firmly said. But things weren’t easy even after bagging the role.
Right after the promo revealing her face went on air, many viewers reportedly criticized her. Shruti said, “The audience never expected someone with my features could play the lead. I read many posts where people asked the channel to replace me with a good looking girl. Many people told me on my face that I can’t be a heroine. They also wondered how the makers could pair me up with a handsome guy like Gourab. I heard it all and got even more determined. After all, I had a lot to prove.”
‘Trinayani’ became a huge hit as it started scoring consistently well on the TRP charts. The success prompted other regional channels to launch the show in the respective languages. Trinayani has been remade in Odia and pretty soon it will be launched in Telugu too. Have things changed after success? Shruti smiled. She added, “To some extent, things have changed. Those who once told me that I am daydreaming, now want to click photos with me. But there is a lot to change. Even a few days back, some local ladies followed me till my flat only to check whether my complexion is dusky like the way it is shown in the show. They got quite disappointed when I showed that it is my real skin tone.”
When asked what if she had some divine power just like Nayan, she said, “I would like to change the perspective of people if I had such divine power, the way they see or judge others. We don’t judge people based on their talent, we don’t see their inner beauty. What we all consider how they look.” She signed out with a smile.