Sep 27, 2026 1:30pm IST
Harleen Sethi On Playing The Other Woman In ‘Shaque’: ‘The Challenge Was To Make The Audience Feel Empathy For Her’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Stepping into the high-octane narrative of “Shaque: Trust No One,” Harleen Sethi knew she was taking on a role that would test both her range and personal boundaries. The thriller follows a distraught mother named Anvita (Parineeti Chopra), whose missing child investigation spirals into utter turmoil when her husband, Alok (Tahir Raj Bhasin), engages in an extramarital affair. Playing Shreya, the complex woman at the center of that affair who is Anvita's best friend, required Sethi to strike a delicate balance between judgment and empathy. It is the kind of part that the audience is bound to dislike, yet Sethi took on the challenge of portraying it.
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When she first read the script, Sethi admits she had to actively work through her own initial judgments about Shreya before she could even begin to portray her authentically. "I had so much judgment towards Shreya even to play her, and then I would have to put that down and really first empathize with Shreya so that I am able to justify what she is doing," Sethi explains. To make a character like that relatable, Sethi felt it was crucial to put down her personal bias. "I had to do a lot of homework," Sethi shares, explaining how she built an entire backstory from scratch by mapping out childhood dynamics, past loves, and hidden emotional baggage. "I had to really sit and ask all of these questions to myself to really build Shreya. What is her childhood like? How was her friendship with Anvita? What transpired between Alok, Bhaskar, and her in college?" In her eyes, Shreya is a complex three-in-one character juggling being a best friend, a wife and a secret love interest all at once. "So it was a really internal character. A lot was in the eyes, and a lot was suppressed, and a lot was not spoken, and what was spoken was not meant."
Despite the heavy, claustrophobic atmosphere written into the script, the environment on set was collaborative and lighthearted. Working alongside experienced co-actors like Parineeti Chopra and Tahir Raj Bhasin, Sethi experienced a warm, supportive dynamic where everyone brought their individual preparation to rehearsals while actively jamming together to find the best possible outcomes for each scene. "It was friendly and also very collaborative, and everyone was trying to help each other out," Sethi shares, adding that between takes, the cast maintained a fun, easygoing vibe to counter the intense emotional weight of the story. "You can't always be so tense, but that switch happens the minute the director says action."
That emotional agility is something Sethi has cultivated over time, rooted deeply in her breakout turn as Sameera in “Broken But Beautiful”. Looking back at that pivotal project, she credits the audience's overwhelming love and acceptance as the spark that gave her the courage to take on heavier, more complex narrative arcs. "At first, what it did to me was give me acceptance of the audience, and then once you feel accepted, I think you can take on anything," she reflects.
When evaluating new projects, Sethi keeps her green flags clear and her focus squarely on personal growth as an artist. "In this entire cast, I was the least experienced and the most junior, but I still feel like I am always looking at what it is that I can learn. I am also very greedy to learn, to be honest. I am still there, and I feel very grateful that filmmakers are bestowing me with that responsibility." That desire to grow keeps her list of dream collaborators long and ambitious. "There is a list of people I want to work with. Everyone from Imtiaz Ali sir to Sanjay Leela Bhansali sir to someone like Avinash Arun or Sudeep Sharma, my most favorite. Anurag Kashyap has always been a favorite; I really love Ajitpal Singh as well; Vikramaditya Motwane is a favorite; Kiran Rao ma'am now — there are just so many of them."
Looking ahead, Sethi has a busy slate lined up across streaming and film. "I get into a series right now, and then hopefully the theatrical goes on floors by January," she shares, while also awaiting movement on a female-led series she will be headlining. As she continues to expand her filmography, Sethi remains focused on taking on complex, challenging roles that allow her to keep evolving as an actor.
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