Shriya Pilgaonkar stepped into Bollywood with Shah Rukh Khan's Fan in 2016 but became a household name following her impactful role in Mirzapur. After almost 8 years into her career, the actress however now feels that it is not just about being good in a particular part and also embraces the philosophy, jab PR kiya toh darna kya. Talking to Indian Express, she says, "For me grooming is not just your appearance or the PR around you but honing your skills as an actor. I did a lot of theatre, workshops, I was training. But yes, there are a few things in hindsight that I could've perhaps done differently. But I wouldn't look at them as regrets. Sitting here today, looking back, maybe I could've thought more about perception. Just saying that I'm going to work on my talent, work hard and hoping that leads to something is one aspect but in showbiz there's so much more. I feel like I focused a lot on substance, but I didn't give too much thought to the mounting, to what my brand is. I didn't give too much thought back then in understanding how the perception is, how the market is seeing me."
She continued, "A lot of times your teams do that. It's just that over the years I've come to understand these things. Today, you've a sense of how PR works, you want to mount things differently. I won't say it's too naive, but it's idealistic a thought to say that it's only hard work (that gets you ahead). It's also opportunities, luck and perception. There are many people who may not have the talent but are really good at marketing themselves really well. So it has to be everything."
On being asked if the battle of perception vs substance weigh on her, the actress said, "Both are work. When I started out as an actor, I chose to focus more on the substance because I knew my skill and my craft will give me that 60-year career. I look at it as a long-term game, I'm not here for ten years so I don't want to make any decision out of fear. What'll keep me going is my skill. People won't remember my reels; they're going to remember my roles. So, I've always given substance priority. But along with that, I do think it's important to do PR around your projects because how else will you show other aspect? How else will people understand who I am, not just as an actor."
