Leela Patel’s bubbliness is infectious. And it’s not hard to see why. It’s not often that one comes across such a positive person as Leela. She has an incredible gift of seeing the positive side of things, as though her lovely, eloquent eyes are forever looking for the silver lining in the darkest of clouds.

“Life is what you make of it. It’s about choices. It is up to you to see things positively and create happiness and contentment for yourself. You are what you think. You think positive, visualize positive – and that’s all you need to get ahead and be happy,” she says with a gleam in her eyes.

Life for Leela, who is instantly recognised in New Zealand and Fiji by Shortland Street buffs as Shobhana Kumari (Shanti’s mom), has never been easy. Born in a conservative Gujarati family, she had to struggle hard to embark on the path of her true calling – performing art. Even if she could convince her immediate family, the larger community’s conservatism was never easy to deal with.

She honed her singing talent by performing in musical groups during her student days. It was rather late in life when she discovered her talent for acting and successfully auditioned for both the big and small screens.

Before her Shortland Street assignment (the latest of which aired only last month), her performance in Apron Strings, a film based in Auckland, received critical acclaim and she was invited to its screening at a film festival in Dubai. Though she has done small roles in several screen efforts down the years, she has been lately in the news for her role in Curry Munchers.

Indian Weekender editor in chief Dev Nadkarni caught up with her in the week of the film’s premiere in Auckland last week. Excerpts from the interview:

What is your reaction to your performance in Curry Munchers? What was it like watching yourself on screen as Apu?

My performance in Curry Munchers was like carrying on from my role in Shortland Street as in both, my backgrounds came from an upper class society and the roles were slightly similar – being a mother.

Watching myself on screen was hard in the sense that Apu's emotions were brought on from memories of the past, which repeated the heartaches of that time. I was very fortunate that director Cristobal Lobos gave me the freedom to play with my character and let me improvise from the actual script, as actors are not usually given this opportunity. I was able to work with my character to make it more believable not just for me but also for the audience especially the "silent tear" scene.

What was your most challenging moment in Curry Munchers?

The most challenging moments were always with Anand (who plays my son Sid). He always reminded me of my own son who I am very close to and I always became emotional before the shooting of the scene. Holding back tears is always very challenging for me.

How does Apu's role compare with your role in Apron Strings in terms of range and intensity?

My role as Apu compared to Tara in Apron Strings is that in Apron Strings, I was dwelling in the past and held on to very strong negative beliefs which I felt I could not change and accepted life as I saw it. However, in Curry Munchers, I was dealing with current and future issues where I was able to compromise and come to terms with a new way of life, looking forward to a brighter future which I had control of.

What is the sort of role you would want to do next? What's your dream role?

The kind of role I would love to do next would be something very outrageous compared to the motherly roles I have always had. A role where I can let loose and be a daring social outcast, wanting my freedom and going against the normal expectations of the Indian woman. That would be fun [smiles with glee].

My dream role would be to make another appearance on Shortland Street but to be the outrageous twin of Shobhna or an outrageous Shobhna who has had enough of being good all the time [laughs] but I also dream of the day when a horror, thriller or romantic role is written for me or even a musical, as I love to sing.

Would you consider a Bollywood movie if the opportunity arose?

I would definitely consider a Bollywood movie. It would be a chance of a lifetime and very exciting to meet the famous actors I have seen on screen. It would be very interesting working with directors, producers and actors from India as I have not done this before.

Is screen acting a viable option as a career in New Zealand particularly as a Kiwi Indian? How could there be more opportunities created?

It would be lovely if screen acting was a viable option as a career in New Zealand for Indians but it seems there are very limited roles for us as we always tend to get migrant roles. However, I feel blessed with the opportunities I have been given and have enjoyed every moment of my time with Film and TV. One way of creating more opportunities is maybe to have ideas from the public or actors themselves with story lines, which have not been used.

Is there anything you would like to share with your growing fan club here?
To my fans and Indian Weekender readers, I would like to say that the power of the mind is amazing. Believe in yourself that you can have the life you dream of, and that with determination and a positive attitude, you will succeed. My favourite quote is "Fake it till you make it" – it has worked for me and there’s no reason why it won’t work for you too, or anyone else.