A morning flight from Chennai and fatigue had left Shobana with little time to plan what she would perform with percussionist Tanmoy Bose in the evening. But her poise scarcely betrayed a trace of tension. ?It will work out fine. We have done lots of shows together,? assured the south Indian star, hours before joining Tanmoy on stage for The Telegraph 31st Nite countdown last Wednesday.

A dancer she is at the core of her heart, and not even the nationwide adulation following Revathy?s Mitr: My Friend could sway this 30-something actress from her focus.

?Films are a group effort. I find dance more challenging because it?s an individual initiative. I get the bouquets and brickbats for what I do. I also have more control over this subject and can come out with very successful projects. Dance has become an integral part of me,? says she, having worked in more than 200 films. Presently, Shobana is at the receiving end of accolades for Pamela Rooks? Dance Like A Man, where she plays herself, a Bharatanatyam dancer, with Arif Zakaria, Anoushka Shankar and Sameer Soni.

?There isn?t much of me as a person in the character I play. She is a dancer, a wife and a mother. I could empathise with her and gave her a lot of thought,? says Shobana, admitting that the two women directors have uncovered different facets of her acting skills.

?Revathy and Pamela are poles apart. Revathy was a one-man team in Mitr. She and I knew each other from before as we had worked under the same directors and shared similar cultural thoughts. Maybe working under the same directors has shaped us artistically in the same direction,? she adds, having worked under Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Mani Ratnam in her two-decade-long career.

?But Pamela was different. She was very organised and gave me a lot of freedom? She let me shoot, edit and even select the music. I was very involved with many aspects of Dance Like A Man, from deciding the technicians to even recording.?

So, what next? ?Not another film. I like being in films so much that I really have to think and choose,? is her predetermined answer. ?I also have to look after my dance school in Chennai, Kalarpana, and my household,? she says.

?Besides, I have reached a stage where I don?t want to do 10 films a year. I am curious about a lot of other things. I want to travel, write and interact with people. All this gives me more happiness because I had ceased to do all this at one point of time,? adds Shobana, after a brief moment of peering into her future.