Sheena Chohan on emotional preparation for screen roles

For Sheena Chohan, preparing for a role is not a process that begins on the first day of shoot. It starts the moment she says yes.

The actress, known for her methodical approach to character work, says she treats every role as an emotional and physical undertaking that demands full immersion well before the cameras roll. Her preparation spans field research, physical conditioning, and deliberate isolation from distractions — a process she describes as non-negotiable.

"The moment I say yes to a film, I start preparing myself for the character," Chohan said. "Every role has its own emotional depth, challenges, and experiences. I believe that if you want audiences to truly connect with a character, you need to understand them from within."

Her research methods are notably hands-on. For her portrayal of Avli in Sant Tukaram, Chohan spent time in rural villages, observing the daily lives of local women to absorb what she calls their "rhythm and resilience." For an upcoming South Indian film, JMD, where she plays a police officer, she shadowed a serving policewoman to understand the psychological pressures of the profession. And ahead of a courtroom drama in which she plays a Christian woman opposite Kajol, she made repeated visits to churches in Mumbai's Bandra neighbourhood to study the emotional atmosphere of the space.

The approach extends beyond observation. For action-heavy roles, Chohan commits to intensive fitness training to physically inhabit the character's world. Alongside that, she imposes a kind of informational quarantine on herself.

"Whenever I'm working on an intense role, I often detox from social media and disconnect from unnecessary noise around me," she said. "It helps me stay focused and emotionally available for the character. Preparation is not just about looking the part — it's about feeling every emotion truthfully so that it translates naturally on screen."

Chohan frames this discipline not merely as personal craft, but as an obligation to collaborators. Filmmaking, she argues, is a collective endeavour, and an actor's unpreparedness is a breach of that compact.

"Every film is a collective dream," she said. "As actors, we have the responsibility to honour that vision and give our absolute best. When the audience feels what the character feels — that's when the magic truly happens. That's always my goal."

She summed up her ethos simply: "I give every character my complete heart and soul, because that's the only way I know how to work."