Singer-actor-anchor Shibani Dandekar shares the dope on styling and her desire to do more substantial roles in films
Gorgeous Shibani Dandekar wears many hats - that of an actor, dancer, singer and anchor. No wonder then that being stylish comes quite naturally to her. We caught up with Shibani when she was in Pune to style the 10 winners of Summer Fashion Challenge organised by Phoenix MarketCity. “It’s not very easy to become a stylist. When you are styling yourself, you know what your likes are and what you look good in. But when you are picking up clothes for someone else, especially someone you haven’t met before, it is difficult to understand what they would like to wear,” Shibani says.
“Nonetheless, it was fun as the winners were open to experimenting to getting styled by someone else. Hence it worked out so well,” adds Shibani.
These days, celebrities are often brutally trolled because of what they wear at red carpet events or in their social media posts. Are we being too harsh on them or as celebs, they carry the responsibility of wearing the best? Answers Shibani, “If people love what you wear and you take that willingly, then you have to be willing to take the baggage that comes along with this. If you are a public figure and posting your pictures all over the social media, showing the world what you are going to wear at the red carpet events, then it is their right to like or dislike. Of course, trolling can get a bit too much at times and people need to put across their opinions in a more responsible way and subtle manner.”
Talking about her own fashion sense, she says, “My personal style is all about boots, torn and oversized clothing, and outfits that are androgynous. At times, I feel like wearing feminine and girly clothes too. Comfy is what I love.”
Shibani, who is best known for hosting the show Extraa Innings - T20, during the Indian Premier League matches, has greatly helped break the stereotype created around what professions can be associated with women. “I grew up in Australia watching cricket. My dad is a huge cricket fan. When they approached me for IPL, the T20 format was something I wasn’t too familiar with. But I spent time reading up and learning about it. I did IPL for four years and I loved it. There are many women around the world, who have broken the stereotype and are fantastic commentators. The moment people stop looking at us as ‘female presenters’, I think we will be in a much better place.”
Shibani, who was born in Pune and spent a part of her childhood in the city, also expressed her desire to act in Marathi films. Earlier, she has done a couple of item dance numbers for Marathi films like Timepass and Sangharsh. “I would love to act in Marathi films. I think, the content in the Marathi space is really great and it definitely beats the Hindi film in a phenomenal way — their content and storyline is outstanding. And I definitely want to be a part of it.”
When asked about her singing career, she says, “Singing keeps happening - on stage, in the form of jingles and so on - but when you are constantly doing so many things (acting, dancing, singing and anchoring), there is very little time for each one of them. But having said that I will definitely be doing a lot of singing this year. I perform with a band called The Bartender and we sing old school Hindi songs. I want to keep doing that and see what else comes my way.”
Shibani, who was last seen in Noor, and before that in Naam Shabana, Shaandaar and Roy, says that she is now looking for more substantial roles. “I loved doing cameos and I appreciate the opportunity, but I think now it is time to delve a little bit more and find something which is more challenging and let me get more into the acting space,” she says before signing off.
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