Soni Razdan on 'Shaque: Trust No One': how silence shaped her craft
Synopsis
Soni Razdan's insight ahead of 'Shaque: Trust No One' isn't just promotional talk — it's a window into how streaming is quietly rewriting the grammar of Indian acting. Her discovery of silence as a tool, after decades of dense-dialogue television and film, points to a broader shift in how performance is valued on platforms like Netflix.
Key Takeaways
Soni Razdan spoke about her evolving use of silence as an acting tool during promotions for 'Shaque: Trust No One' in Mumbai's BKC .
She said she is 'discovering the silences between the words' — a shift she credits to greater creative freedom in current projects. 'Shaque: Trust No One' is a psychological thriller about a mother's nine-year search for her missing child.
The series is directed by Rensil D'Silva and co-created with Siddharth P.
The cast includes Parineeti Chopra , Tahir Raj Bhasin , Jennifer Winget , Anup Soni , Harleen Sethi , and Sumeet Vyas .
The show premieres on Netflix on 24 September 2026 .
Actress Soni Razdan has opened up about a quiet but significant shift in her approach to performance — learning to embrace silence — as she prepares for the premiere of her upcoming psychological thriller 'Shaque: Trust No One' on Netflix on 24 September 2026. The actress shared her thoughts during promotions for the series held in the BKC area of Mumbai, alongside co-stars Tahir Raj Bhasin and Parineeti Chopra.
The Art of Saying Nothing
Razdan described silence not as an absence of acting but as its subtler dimension. 'I actually feel I would like to use silences a lot more. I feel sometimes as actors, we are frightened of silences because we are given lines and our job is to say those lines,' she said. She added that the shift has been gradual and personal: 'As an actor, I'm learning that finding the spaces between those lines is now becoming interesting for me.'
For Razdan, this evolution reflects both artistic growth and changing industry norms. 'Earlier we were not allowed,' she noted, suggesting that an older school of performance demanded dense, unbroken dialogue to carry emotional weight. 'We had to do huge chunks of dialogue to say all these things and finish it off. But now I think I'm discovering the silences between the words.'
About 'Shaque: Trust No One'
'Shaque: Trust No One' is a psychological thriller that probes the fragile boundaries of trust, suspicion, and betrayal. The narrative centres on a mother who has spent nine years searching for her missing child. Despite receiving photographs of the child every year, she remains desperate for the full truth. As her investigation deepens, she uncovers that the answers may lie within her own closest circle.
The series is directed by Rensil D'Silva and co-created by D'Silva and Siddharth P. Malhotra. The ensemble cast includes Jennifer Winget, Anup Soni, Harleen Sethi, and Sumeet Vyas, alongside Razdan, Bhasin, and Chopra.
A Timely Reflection on Performance
Razdan's remarks arrive at a moment when the streaming format — with its longer runtimes and character-driven storytelling — is widely credited with giving actors more room to breathe between lines. Unlike the pace demands of theatrical releases or television, streaming series increasingly reward restraint. This is the context in which she says she is 'being allowed to do that as an actor for the work that I am doing.'
The show premieres on Netflix on 24 September 2026, two days after Razdan spoke at the promotional event.
Point of View
Where dialogue density was long conflated with emotional depth. Streaming platforms, with their binge-friendly pacing, are giving veteran actors a second vocabulary. The more interesting question is whether 'Shaque' itself gives her the material to demonstrate it, or whether the remark will be remembered more than the performance.
NationPress
22 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 'Shaque: Trust No One' about?
'Shaque: Trust No One' is a psychological thriller on Netflix about a mother who has spent nine years searching for her missing child. Despite receiving yearly photographs of the child, she seeks full answers and discovers that the truth may lie within her own inner circle.
When does 'Shaque: Trust No One' premiere on Netflix?
The show is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on 24 September 2026. Promotions for the series were held in Mumbai's BKC area on 22 September 2026.
Who are the cast and creators of 'Shaque: Trust No One'?
The series stars Soni Razdan, Parineeti Chopra, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Jennifer Winget, Anup Soni, Harleen Sethi, and Sumeet Vyas. It is directed by Rensil D'Silva and co-created by D'Silva and Siddharth P. Malhotra.
What did Soni Razdan say about silence in acting?
Razdan said she is learning to find 'the spaces between the lines', describing silence as a layer of performance she was previously not afforded. She noted that earlier conventions demanded heavy dialogue to convey emotion, whereas she now feels free to let pauses carry meaning.
How has the streaming format changed acting, according to Soni Razdan?
Razdan implied that streaming has given actors greater latitude to use silence expressively, contrasting it with older formats where dense dialogue was the norm. She said she is 'being allowed to do that as an actor for the work that I am doing', suggesting the medium is reshaping performance expectations.
