Opening Doorz

By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | May 07, 2023

Sandhya Shetty of Corona Papers

Sandhya Shetty of Corona Papers gets everything right—style, dialogue delivery, body language, and action.

Watching a Malayalam movie dubbed in Hindi is a tad difficult to allow the discerning viewer to gauge these aspects, especially diction. However, the Shetty girl is bang on target as a deceitful cop.

When she comes on screen as two innocents are being framed for murder, I hope that they would get justice. After all, this is the Sandhya Shetty I know for the last 25 years.

But I was in for a shock watching the Sandhya Shetty on screen. When she pulls the trigger on these unsuspecting men killing them in cold blood, I wonder aloud, “How could she do this?”

But then I realise, I am watching Sandhya Shetty on the screen. For a person (you know so well) to get these emotions out of you watching these intense scenes performing as an actor is praiseworthy.

Well done Sandhya Shetty. Take a bow. You have truly shone in your role in Corona Papers.

Corona Papers and Andhadhun

The movie began well. Gripping, I must say. But somewhere along the line, it lost its intensity and crispiness in the plot. Priyadarshan deviated. There was no clear stitching of the first scene with the following scenes which ultimately led back to the first scene in the last scene!

If you have watched Sriram Raghava’s Andhadhun, you will know what I mean. Corona Papers has a similar sort of beginning which loops into the ending. Only it is not as smart and compact.

Whereas, in Andhadhun, only a genius could have sewed a plot beginning with a one-eyed rabbit creating havoc in a cabbage field (somewhere in Pune), that drives the farmer nuts. The gunshot which culminates from the frustrated farmer’s hand-gun, explodes into a beautiful symphony towards the end. In the last scene, you don’t even know if what you see is what you saw! That was Sriram Raghavan

Overall, however, Corona Papers is engaging.

Sandhya Shetty of 1998

This was sometime in 1998. I visited my friend Craig Scott at the Provogue office in the suburbs. Nikhil Chaturvedi, the Director, was just beginning the Provogue branding then. I played a very, very small part as a journalist, helping in whatever way I could.

On Craig’s table were photographs of a few models. I guess Provogue was looking for new faces. I took the number of one particular model, whose body language I liked and connected with her.

Soon, Sandhya Shetty made her appearance in Bombay Times, (the place then to be written about in), and other supplements of the Times Group. We bonded. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Soon after we met, she even tried to get me hooked. She wanted me to settle down. There were too many pretty girls making their way to the office to meet me. She was concerned. She came home with a friend of hers to meet me and my folks. She was a good Catholic girl. But things did not move forward. I decided to wait for the right girl.

Our friendship though moved ahead.

We have not met regularly, but have always stayed in touch over the years. I have watched from the sidelines her struggle to make it big. She has managed work, on her own steam. The bigger picture eluded her. She never lost hope. She kept at it, like the true Karate Kid that she is.

Sandhya Shetty, the Karate Kid

With Priyadarshan’s Corona Papers, she has hit the big time on the big screen. I sincerely hope she gets talented filmmakers to sign her on, from here. As an actor, she has displayed immense talent.

A karate exponent, I think a film on women’s safety which she has been advocating for long would be a big hit. A Femina Miss India 2000 finalist, Sandhya has also represented Indian at various Karate Championships and won laurels for her country. She has worked in several regional language movies and has also made her presence felt on television and in various ad campaigns.

Her rise has been slow and grueling. There have been roadblocks along the way. But like the true champion that she is, she has worked a way around the walls that have come in front of her or has simply scaled it with her grit.

Priyadarshan found his antagonist in Corona Papers. Sandhya Shetty found a firm footing in acting. As a model, Sandhya loves to be in front of the camera all the time. A perfectionist, she believes, “To achieve one’s goal in life, one has to be self-disciplined and a dedicated soul. Modeling is one of the toughest professions in the world. The life of a model is full of disciplined upbringing, habits, and sacrifices.” 

This is what she told me, once, a long time ago when we discussed how she was not getting a break. Today, she has broken out of that mould.

Also Read: Meet Dev Mishra… the man with an iron will!

Also Read: Akshita Shetty: I am a hardworking, honest and ambitious girl!

Also Read: Andhadhun Movie Review