Reshma Shetty, one of the stars of “Allegiance,” was able to speak with ShockYa about her role in the film. During the interview, Shetty talked about her work with the USO, where she thinks “Allegiance” fits in with other military films and a scoop on what will be happening next for her character, Divya, on “Royal Pains.”
Allegiance is actually one of the more intriguing films I’ve heard about this year. What made you want to commit to the script?
Reshma Shetty: Lots of reasons. First of all, I’m not asked to do—bizarrely—a lot of girlfriend roles, so the actual idea of doing something like that was actually very interesting to me. Plus, I’ve been doing work with the USO, actually, and just learning about people—who defend us and [who’s] on the front lines, is something of great interest to me. My husband was in the ROTC when he was in college and it’s something I’m very interested in…it had really great people attached to it and I wanted to be [a part in it.]
Was there anything that surprised you about doing this movie? Did you learn something about the military that you didn’t know before?
Reshma Shetty: As I say, I’ve been learning a lot more about that…area. I just the camaraderie is a huge through-line throughout the movie. It’s something that—as I say, I’ve worked with the USO and I’ve gone to the Walter Reeves Hospital in DC and to meet wounded warriors who have come from Iraq…and to meet their families is really humbling to see these people who protect you. I don’t think the everyday person gets it. I mean, we watch stuff on TV, or we support them of course, but we don’t get it. And I think I started to draw from this movie and being around that is that.
This film is one of several films that has come out since 9/11 and since Osama bin Laden was killed. How do you think this film fits in with the narrative America is in?
Reshma Shetty: …I think that this movie has a story that affects people. And while…doing what’s right is a very universal theme, and at a time after our country’s past and military’s definitely in the spotlight and bringing the troops back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I think any movie dealing with those people is relevant. There’s a big swath of movies that have come out now that are military-based, and I think, as I say, people are starting to understand that they need to understand what’s going on.
When audiences see this movie, how do you hope they react to it?
Reshma Shetty: I think it’s a slice of life that all of us understand. As I say, the theme is universal. It’s [about] what’s the right thing to do, and you know, thankfully, not all of us are in a situation where we have to choose our family, our country, our job, because of the vows that we made. So hopefully people just leave the movie seeing a side of somebody else’s life and circumstance.
My last question is kind of off-topic; by the time this interview goes live, the Royal Pains wedding special would have aired. What can you tell fans about where your character is headed after the special and into the next season?
Reshma Shetty: The very end of it is going to be a bit of a cliffhanger, so the next season is going to be [in] June and will have actually moved through the winter. The [wedding] episode was set in the winter, and we’re going to be four or five months ahead of what actually happened [in the special], so to answer your question, I have no idea. They won’t tell me. There are interesting ties are cut [in the special] that will affect will happens to me next year.
