Top 90 Quotes & Sayings by Shamna Kasim

Even when I was bald, I loved seeing myself in the mirror, loved the attention that came with it and flaunted the look. It gave me a lot of confidence too.

Avunu's stellar run at the BO and the positive response from the audience was such that most scripts coming my way from Telugu have been from the horror genre!

When I am not acting or practising dance, you'll find me fast asleep!

I am playing a brave girl in Thagararu.' I was told by the director that Madurai girls are naturally brave and during my shoots in the city, I realized that this is true about the girls from Madurai.

I used to do semi-classical dance as a child; I did not have a choreographer, but my mother gave me a cassette to learn from.

In Tamil and Telugu films, I am not called for stylish roles and often play rustic or unglamorous roles in them.

Ravi Babu's films are known to have its heroines playing prominent roles. Further, all the heroines he has cast in his films are well-established, known faces. I consider myself lucky to have been considered by him to play Mohini.

Dance has given me so many opportunities including a foothold into filmdom.

I'm friends with many actors across the southern film industry, who've been my co-stars, too, and with whom I share a great rapport.

In fact, dance is an extension of who I am.

I am scared when I hear the word 'marriage' but I cannot say to my family that I don't want to marry at all.

I am glad that I had to work my way up and was not handed anything on a platter.

Wearing wigs don't work for all characters.

I had once decided to quit acting when Chattakari' didn't do well at the box office.

As a woman, I too nurture dreams about the one man with whom I'd be sharing my life.

I have always wondered why I don't get as many good roles in Malayalam as I do in other languages.

At times, I would decide to keep myself completely free for a week to relax. But, after the second day, I would feel bored and tell myself, You better do something.'

Dance gives me a lot of confidence and helps me overcome all my insecurities in personal and professional life.

There have been ups and downs in my life, and at a point of time, I had thought of even quitting from films, by focusing on dance alone.

Rarely do heroine-oriented films happen in the film industry.

Be it a cameo, a character role or a lead role, I am happy that people are finally recognising my acting calibre and are casting me in their films.

As an actor, it doesn't matter to me if I play the role of a mother, with or without make-up and so on. I focus only on getting the expressions and acting right.

I made my debut in 2004 as a fresh faced teenager in a small role in director Kamal's Manjupoloru Penkutty.'

I sometimes just break down and cry.

I have complete faith and trust in our criminal justice system.

Like every girl, I had dreams of marriage, but I got victimized in a cheating scandal. When the proposal came through the family, everyone was happy. I had started talking to him with the consent of both families and after a week, all of a sudden, we got to know that I wasn't even speaking with the person whose picture had been given to us.

Frankly speaking, ever since my debut, I have been offered cop roles. However, I never felt confident about pulling them off, probably due to my short physique or the absence of the required traits in me.

When people question me too much, I generally ask them if such rules are applicable to someone like actor Mammootty. They reply, Mammootty is a man and you are a woman. You aren't supposed to do certain things.' And I go like, Why not? Are there separate rules for Muslim men and women?'

People think if you are an actor or a social figure, you have more freedom in life. But that's not the case.

I am a dancer first. That is why I don't accept all roles that come my way.

I have not come this far in one shot, and I have undergone struggles. My life was built step by step.

I don't want to star in films for the sake of acting.

I don't say no to dance shows on TV channels as they have always served as stress busters. I thoroughly enjoy dancing.

Ever since I gave the nod for Chattakari,' I've been flooded with offers from the Malayalam film industry, like never before.

There are offers, but I would sign the dotted line only when a project excites me enough to spare time for it.

Tamil is almost like my mother tongue and for quite some time, I had been concentrating on Telugu.

I was doubtful whether I can play overly glamorous characters, as I am not slim. But, I was amazed at the kind of fame that came my way in Tollywood.

I am not called for good roles in Malayalam films for reasons which I cannot fathom.

There are several talented Malayali actresses, but still M-Town directors choose actresses from other states.

It has been ten years since I stepped into the industry and I have done a lot of song and dance and romantic films.

I have regretted saying no' to a director who wanted to bank on my dancing skills for an amazing role in the past.

Unless I am convinced that it is a strong, prominent role with ample scope to perform, I don't accept it. I want the audience to recognize me for my acting talent.

What leads me is the conviction that as an artiste, attempting versatile roles will help me improve.

I'm ready to wait for the best role rather than do all the projects coming my way and regret about it later.

After I got my head tonsured, I stopped taking up projects, and have been very choosy because my hairstyle doesn't suit every role. A few filmmakers even asked me to act with a wig, but I don't want to do that.

My family has been thinking of arranging my marriage for over a year now. At one point I too thought it would be fine.

I was approached for the remake of Maniyara,' the yesteryear film that starred actors Mammootty and Seema in the lead.

A lot of substantial roles are coming my way from Tamil and Telugu, and I am happy with the way my career is progressing.

After donning an item number in Rajadhi Raja,' I got a string of offers to perform similar characters. But I consciously rejected all those offers as I don't want to be tagged as an item girl.

Asking Muslims to stay away from social media is downright absurd.

As I always say, I don't want to limit myself to being an ingredient in any dish. I want to be the sole flavoring agent, without which making the dish is impossible.

When working under experienced filmmakers, many artistes tend to get nervous.

As a person who keeps away from horror flicks for fear of losing sleep over it - not just for days but months together - Avunu' was a great experience for me.

In Santhosh Sethumadhavan's remake of the yesteryear hit, Chattakkari,' I was required to wear short skirts and frocks as I play an Anglo-Indian girl in it. But my role as Julie is hardly a show of glamour.

If I am part of a movie, the character I handle should make sense to me at first and should also be convincing to the audiences, in terms of casting.

Just because I am a Muslim doesn't mean that I need to live in a certain way and sport a certain look.

Don't compare me to veteran actor Lakshmi who immortalised Julie in director Sethumadhavan's Chattakkari.' It's so unnerving.

Malayali audiences are well aware of Shamna as a dancer and that may be a reason why I was constantly being approached by filmmakers to do song sequences alone.

In our religion, there are people who might be conservative about practicing dance after marriage, but I don't want anything or anyone to come between me and my dance.

Shamna is a 'hot star' for Malayalis, but for my Telugu and Tamil audience, Poorna is a girl next-door. That is because I have mostly played village belle or de-glam characters in these industries. Whatever people's perception about me is I'm happy.