Medha Shankr has experienced the kind of career breakthrough that can change an actor’s professional life almost overnight. Her performance in 12th Fail brought her widespread recognition and significantly increased public attention, but the success also created a new challenge: deciding what to do next.
For Shankr, the period following 12th Fail has involved balancing audience expectations with her desire to explore unfamiliar characters.
In an exclusive conversation with Lucknow Times, the actor reflected on the pressure that followed her sudden rise in visibility, the danger of being typecast and her ambitions to headline stories centred on complex female characters.
Medha Shankr Says the Pressure Came After the Initial Excitement
The response to 12th Fail initially felt more like a celebration than a burden for Shankr.
She explained that when her social-media following and public recognition grew rapidly, she was primarily enjoying the moment rather than worrying about how the success might affect her next career decision.
The pressure became more noticeable several months later.
“When all of this happened, when that sudden fame came on Instagram, at that time, I was just happy. I wasn’t thinking so much,” Shankr told Lucknow Times.
According to the actor, the situation changed when conversations about her next projects began. With more people offering opinions about which roles she should accept, she found herself thinking more carefully about her choices.
“After three or four months, when you start thinking about work and a new project starts coming to you, different people start advising you. That’s when I definitely felt that pressure,” she said.
Shankr eventually developed a simpler approach to dealing with the competing advice.
She said she listens to suggestions but ultimately follows the choices that personally resonate with her.
‘I Was Getting Pigeonholed’ After 12th Fail
One of the biggest professional challenges following a successful breakthrough is avoiding typecasting.
Shankr acknowledged that she began encountering this issue after playing Shraddha Joshi in 12th Fail. The popularity of the film meant that audiences and industry professionals had a strong association between the actor and the character.
“I will not deny the fact that I was getting pigeonholed after playing the character of Joshi in 12th Fail,” she said.
Shankr explained that when an actor’s first major film becomes successful, there can be an assumption that the performer should continue accepting similar roles.
For her, deliberately moving away from that image became an important career decision.
She said she wanted to demonstrate that she could also work in a commercial film and take on characters that were substantially different from her earlier performance.
Choosing Different Characters Instead of Repeating a Formula
Rather than attempting to recreate the success of 12th Fail with another similar role, Shankr has expressed an interest in variety.
Her filmography includes projects such as Shaadisthan and Max, Min and Maalik, alongside 12th Fail. The different projects have allowed her to explore characters and genres beyond the role that introduced her to a much larger audience.
For Shankr, that experimentation is important because an actor’s career can become restrictive when one successful character turns into an expectation.
Her approach is therefore to look for roles that offer a noticeable contrast to what audiences have already seen from her.
Medha Shankr Wants to Lead a Female-Centred Film
Looking ahead, Shankr is also interested in stories where women occupy the centre of the narrative.
She believes female characters in Hindi cinema are increasingly being written with greater complexity, pointing to films such as Mimi, Gangubai Kathiawadi and Haq while discussing the changing landscape.
“It’s definitely getting better. These are such well-written female parts. There is strength in these women, but there is vulnerability too,” she said.
For Shankr, that combination of strength and vulnerability is particularly appealing.
She would like to headline a film as the female lead and take on a character that audiences may not immediately associate with her.
“I would love to headline a film as a female lead and play characters that no one has even thought of before,” she added.
She Is Also Looking for Something Completely Different
A female-led drama is not the only kind of project Shankr wants to explore.
The actor also expressed interest in making a sharp departure from expectations with a deeply emotional romantic story.
She said she would like to work on an intense love story, including the possibility of an emotionally tragic romantic comedy.
That desire for contrast fits with her broader approach to post-12th Fail career choices: rather than trying to repeat one successful formula, she wants to keep testing her range.
Lucknow Has a Special Connection for Medha Shankr
Shankr’s conversation with Lucknow Times also touched on her personal connection with Lucknow.
Some of her relatives live in the city, giving her a connection beyond simply visiting as a traveller.
The actor spoke warmly about Lucknow’s food, but said the city’s people are another major reason she enjoys spending time there.
“Apart from my love for the city’s food, I am also fond of the people here,” she said, referring to the city’s welcoming atmosphere.
She also referenced the familiar Lucknow phrase, “Muskuraiye, aap Lucknow mein hain,” saying that the city’s people embody the warmth and friendliness associated with it.
What Comes Next for Medha Shankr?
The success of 12th Fail has given Shankr greater visibility, but her comments suggest that she does not want that success to define the rest of her career.
Instead, she appears focused on using the recognition as an opportunity to experiment.
That means moving away from characters that simply resemble Shraddha Joshi, exploring commercial cinema, pursuing substantial female-led stories and potentially taking on emotionally demanding romantic roles.
The challenge for any actor following a breakout performance is to turn recognition into longevity.
For Shankr, the answer appears to lie in making deliberate choices rather than trying to recreate the past.
Her next roles will show how far that strategy can take her.
