Sheena Chohan’s ‘Fame Game’

I get to live my dream on film sets and travel the world, but when I do, I am aware of the people who don't have such opportunities.

A former Miss Universe participant, Indian actress Sheena Chohan has worked in six films, including Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's "Pipra Bidda" (Ant Story).

A passionate humanitarian, Sheena is the only Indian actress to receive the prestigious Human Rights Hero Award at the United Nations in New York for her work enlightening more than 36 million people about their human rights. She is the South Asian Ambassador for the not-for-profit organisation, United for Human Rights. Most recently, she was featured in the Netflix series, "The Fame Game", starring Madhuri Dixit. 

In a conversation with The Daily Star, she opens up about her passion for acting, humanitarian work, and more.

How was the experience of working with Madhuri Dixit in 'The Fame Game'? 

Madhuri Dixit plays a famous actress on the show, and I play her PR manager. It was an unusual situation because I was acting alongside a real superstar, who was playing a character so similar to her own self. Often on a set, you have to use your imagination to stay in the moment for scenes. But on this show, I did not have to imagine much. I felt as though the scenes were taking place in real life. Madhuri Dixit is an inspiration.

You are an advocate of human rights education and awareness. What drives you towards this cause?

As a child, I witnessed that my mother was denied her basic rights — she was not allowed to pursue her passions in fashion designing and acting. In fact, she was not allowed to have any job at all, just because she is a woman. This prompted me to seek out an education in human rights. 

I get to live my dream on film sets and travel the world, but when I do, I am aware of the people who don't have such opportunities. I have an equal drive for acting and promoting human rights. This year, I hope to spread awareness of basic rights and equality amongst one billion people across South Asia, and make human rights education mandatory in the region.

Tell us about your podcast, 'Born Free and Equal', where you brought together 30 of Hindi cinema's biggest names on one platform to communicate the 30 rights from the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

We got to speak about subjects like the Right to Education with Sonakshi Sinha, the Right to Food and Shelter with Sonu Sood, and the Right to a Free and Fair World with Raveena Tandon. The podcast offered both practical information on how human rights apply to our daily lives, and motivational stories from the stars about how they have used those rights.

On the acting front, what are your upcoming projects?

I am working on acclaimed director Bappaditya Bandopadhyay's film, "Justice" and also on the Disney+ Hotstar comedy drama series, "Lockdown Mein Breakdown".