In a happy space

Sheetal

Actress-influencer Dolly Singh is on cloud nine after her first big acting project, Thank You for Coming, has been appreciated by audiences. Featuring Bhumi Pednekar, Shehnaaz Gill, Kusha Kapila, Shibani Bedi and Dolly, it’s a sex comedy, a topic that has often explored in Bollywood from the male point of view.

Dolly has been part of the series Bhaag Beanie Bhaag, Modern Love Mumbai and Double XL, but feels that she truly has arrived as an actress with Thank You for Coming. A successful influencer with a following of over 1.6 million on Instagram, she says, “In my first show, Bhaag Beanie Bhaag, I had a good role but it didn’t work because of the pandemic. We didn’t get enough time to promote it. After that I did act in big projects, but the roles were kind of blink and miss. When the first show came out, I thought my life was about to change. So, it really hit me hard because it did not work and I wasn’t expecting that. I thought I would get a lot of offers, but nothing came by for a year.”

Role call

Dolly, playing Pallavi Khanna in Thank You for Coming, wasn’t interested in portraying the role of a best friend yet again. “I gave an audition just for the sake of it and got rejected. But two-three months later, the makers asked for another audition. I gave it my all and everything fell in place.”

On whether there’s indifference in the industry towards an influencer, Dolly clears the air, “One cannot deny that there is a slight bias against influencers turned actors. However, it is not true that our stature or numbers on social media get us a role.”

Dream come true

Although she never expressed it, Dolly’s childhood dream was to become an actress. She says, “I remember I was so jealous when I got to know that a local girl from Nainital was picked for a prominent role in Koi Mil Gaya. The film was shot in Nainital, my hometown. I would often think why it was not me. Even though I wanted to be there, at the same time I was a very shy kid. I never actively took part even in school plays, but still always wanted to be an actress.”