In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost

In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, Anjana Sukhani opened up about her experience of working with director Apoorv Singh Karki in Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt Ltd, her bond with Anup Soni, Amruta Subhash and more.

Anjana Sukhani is a phenomenal actor, who has impressed the audience with her performances in Salaam-e-Ishq ,Golmaal Returns and Golmaal Again . Her other releases were Jai Veeru and Jashan many more. She is currently enjoying the success of Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt Ltd which is streaming on Zee5.

Apart from the story what drove you to say yes to the project ?

The first actually was the director because I have seen his previous work Apoorv Singh Karki I saw Flames, Aspirants and I was like I have to work with him whatever he does I have to work with him even if it is walk on part I have to work with him and he is so brilliant and I think I can’t even manifested this this Manisha’s character for me because honestly. I was looking for something which is not non glamorous but something which has more deepth, something which had lot of emotions, something that gave me opportunity to show my craft because still now it’s always been this sweet girl next door  glamour doll (laughs) kind of rolls you know so I needed something which kind of set  that apart and sets another kind of tone in conversation with you know in my narrative of my journey as an actor.

What kind of response you are getting on your social media?

I am not amazed that the kind of feedback we are getting because we were very prepared that we are breaking a lots of myths here. Two main important relationships, one is your mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship which is so beautifully portrayed by Amruta ji (Subhash) and Yamini ji (Das) and then the other one was about the step mother humare cinema me I think jab se shuru hua hai cinema tab se humme humesha sauteli maa ko bhot ek negative connotation diya gya hai and I think we were very sure that we wanted to change that narrative but also the fact that there could have been very thin line between her turning out to be very fake you know jutha pyar dekha rahi hai aur manuplative hai aur coning hai there is genuine warmth and love she has for her children and I think that was a battle for me ki vo esa na lage ki vo zabardasti kar rahi hai cheeze . You know so that was very very important toh vo logo ne sarhaha hai vo logo ne appreciate kia hai and the feedback is honestly all about touchwood the kind of warmth that Manisha  exquisites on screen for her children and she is so forgiving matlab ese do incidents hote hai uske sath us ghr me ki phele Juhi chori karti hai paise aur fir dusri baar the Mother in law you know steels her jewelry and she still is so calm and composed about it and you know and that was the beauty of playing Manisha. Because that’s the fact of life na that har koi guzar raha hai kisi na kisi you know issue se chahe vo physical hai mental hai chahe financial hai chahe relationships me hai toh everybody is going through something or the other and the point is to at least hold somebody’s hand and try to rise them rather than being them down so agar koi ese sochta hai ki iski life bilkul 100 per cent perfect hai toh vese toh hai he nhi actually kisi ke sath.

How your famiily and friends responded after watching the show?

You know they have seen me grow in the last two years. Specially after pandemic things have changed you know you are more vulnerable you are more scared in a certain way kyu ki apko esa apko pata aisa ki it’s suddenly not new  thing that can  happened to anyone at time and any point of life. But suddenly this alertness jo covid ne create kia hai vo kuch zada he ho gya hai so I think huh that of course as you know brought us a lot more closer the fact that I think they also know that I have been looking for something that gives meaning to me as a human being and that only come through my craft that I can only show case through my art as an actor aur of course frustration bhi rahti hai bhot time kyu ki bhot time pe kyu ki ap you know aap bhot cheeze try karte ho kuch chalti hai kuch nhi chalti hai aur kahi ap ko rejection milta hai toh vo bhi bahot natural progression hai life ka but they are extremely happy, they are very proud of me my family and friends huh you know my mom, sisters huh my closet friends have seen it and they were like “oh my god” you where just like unbelievable (laughs) and so loving and so whatever and you know it’s just my heart completely swells when itni zada tareef kabhi suni nhi hai (laughs) like koi apki face ke liye bole koi apke dress ke baare me bole toh vo toh Normally hota he hai sab ke sath par koi apke art ke liye bole toh yeh bahot kaam hua hai na toh yeh mere liye bhot naya hai(laughs).

Were you stressed or concerned while shooting during the pandemic?

So we shoot last year in November and December jab cheeze thodi better thi par ek esa time aa gya tha ki suddenly cases fir badhne lag gye  the so toh huh humme beech me ek portion chod na padha tha because we have to leave and we have to go back home but the major chunk I think hum kaafi shoot kar chuke the par ek cheez achi yeh thi ki we were almost shooting in a bubble toh jitne log the uthne he log the na koi extra jaa raha tha na koi aa raha tha aur humare pass time nahi tha because we use to start at 4 O’clock in the morning me chaar baje hotel se nikal ti thi aur 5 baje  set pe pahoch ke we use to be ready like by 6 or 6:30 aur hum log katam karte the kareeban 7 to 7:30 toh apke pass time he nahi hai kuch aur karne liye so ap kahi baar jaa he nahi rahe ho kisi se interact he nahi kar rahe ho so there is no way we are going to catch covid or anything. So in a way it was a blessing and disguise ki huh it was like a shoot in a bubble that interaction nahi tha kisi se bhi so that was nice but of course delays thode bhot huye because jab January me cases vapas badhne lage toh huh toh vo bhot mushkil se ek jo schedule bach ta tha vo finally complete kar sake but all in all but I think jab end product screen pe aya toh sare kya khate hai issues bhot mirror lag te hai.

Which is your favourite sence from the web series?

Actually there are two incidents were I felt  do sences jo bhot emotional ek bhot emotionally charged wala with mother in law ke sath hai jab vo kheti hai ki “Ap tuthe  Suman  tuthi toh me bhi tuthi apko kushi Suman me mili aur mujhe vo kushi Dillip me Mili” you know that is very beautiful  sence. Then there is one sence in the kitchen with Juhi jo wo paise dene aati hai wapas and Manisha pushes that money back to her and says “ agli baar haak se mangna “ you know toh vo ek thin line jo vo ki ofcourse usko bura laga hoga vo usi ghr me rahti hai uske paise chori kiye hai toh vo bhot natural si cheez hai human level bhot natural cheez hai bura lag na but usko over power nhi hone dena aur usko pyar se samjhana aur bolna ki kyu ki kya hai  Manisha ka bhi  toh ek  selfless reason hai na kyu ki she is trying to be accepted in this house. So she is taking a lot of shit thik hai koi baat nahi , chodo jane do you know she is forgiving , forgiving ki koi baat nahi koi baat nahi so I think yeh do scenes aur ek movement jo particularly mujhe bhot pasand hai vo hai jab Rishu ghr se bhag jata hai aur jab Manisha uske kamre me jaati hai  aur jab vo uska bag khol ti hai and uski ek cheethi milti hai I think vo ek movement mere liye bhot he difining movement tha as a as a  like a maternal feeling for a child vo bhot bhot he important emotion tha mere liye to feel that .

How will you describe your character in Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt Ltd?

I think Manisha bhot Resilient hai kyu ki jo bhi uske sath hora hai ghar me vo shant hai vo react nahi kar rahi hai har cheez par vo complain nahi kar rahi hai apne husband ko ki dekho Juhi ne mere paise churaye ya you know tumahari maa ne meri jewelry churayi . She is not somebody who is complaining she is somebody who is trying chahe kuch bhi ho raha ho mujhe yeh family jodh kar rakhni hai “Me khud ek tuthe huye ghr se ayi hu” toh this is nothing but my only chance to keep this as a family because for her this is the beginning and end for her now. You know jo resilient tha vo strength hai uski silence me I think vo bhot me strong characterstic hai Manisha ka  ki agar ap   dekhe ge series toh  I don’t have many dialogues I don’t have like I am going on talking and talking. It is more in her silence that the strength resides and I think that’s what defines Manisha.

How it was difficult or I would say different from other roles you have played till now playing a character like Manisha?

I think esa lagata hai ki you know phele ka koi aur tha and ab koi aur hai(laughs). Which I agree because phele it was all about glamour face and good body and you know a girl like sweet and sexy kind of personality but I think wakat sath insan badalta hai aur jab ap life me  not tragedy when you go through certain things in life it changes you through inside and I think something that happened to me which personally changed a lot inside for me and again that doesn’t take the fact that I don’t want to do Golmaal Returns I want to do Golmaal again(laughs). But I think balance acha ho ki ap vo bhi kar sako aur yeh bhi kar sako .Hum actor’s toh vese bhi laalchi hote hai so we want to do everything . Humko commentary bhi karna hai,action karna hai , emotion bhi karna hai sab karna hai , pyar aur romance bhi karna hai . So I think inspiration so I think I would have to give it to my director 100 per cent and the  writer’s ki jo unhone likha  usko mujhe exquisite karna tha yes internalize bhot karna tha . Mujhe yaad hai specially jab shoot ke phele hum reading sessions karte the toh zara sa tone bhi agar ek pitch bhi thoda high hota tha jab reading sessions me toh Apoorv(Singh Karki) kehte the ki “No can’t do this , this is not Manisha bring it down notch it down” you know toh I think dehre dehre kar ke huh aa gya kahi se zehan me kahi beth gyi Manisha ek tarha se .

What is the interesting part of this web series ?

I think  I think inspiration real life , real suitations esi bhot si bhot si lakho crodho aurate hai jo bhot educated nahi hai jinke husband’s unko chod dete hai kisi bhi reason ke liye chahe vo dusri aurat ho ya nhi ban rahi hai , or they are drunker or drunkcards. There can be 10 thousand reasons matlb point hai usme loss ki ka hai the most loss is for a women because she is not educated because she was never taught to stand up for herself because she was never taught to be self realieant toh yeh jab suddenly apko esa jataka lagta hai toh apki jo nayi journey shuru hoti hai aur us journey ko ap bakhubhi nibha ke you are coming out as a winner is what you know Saas Bahu aur Achaar Pvt Ltd means to me because this is Suman’s journey you know jo bhi uske sath guzar ta hai chahe vo paise ko lekar ,chahe usko apne bacho ko chodna padhta hai you know apne pati aur saas ke pass aur dusri maa ke pass it’s not easy for a mother to do that but the strength that she carries no matter what mujhe toh yeh karna he hai kuch bhi ho chahe tikdham bhi laga na padhe. Choti choti cheeze jese ap  apne dekha hoga  obviously series” me ki vo kese Vo bolti achaar me “uske ghr rakha hoga uske kahrab kar dena toh humari shishi chali jaye gi you know small things hum sab me thoda bhot toh negative toh hai he na grey toh hai he hum sab me. So small thinks that I think defines ki jab ap kuch karne nikalo toh huh apke definitely bhot obsetical aye ge life but you will reach there. Jese vo ek dialogue khate hai ki agar “Delhi ke liye train nikali hai toh jo uske stop hai waha pe toh ruke gi he par vo train Delhi ki hai toh vo Delhi he poche gi”. So you know one thing that why it actually defines Saas Bahu aur Achaar Pvt Ltd.

Tell us some interesting behind the scenes stories

(Laughs) We were eating either we were eating or talking about food or we were dreaming about food and in breakfast we were talking about lunch and in lunch we were talking about evening snacks and evening chai we were talking about dinner so that’s all ideally we did. kuch time esa tha jo intense thi thodi cheeze toh ofcourse itna  bhi masti mazak nahi hota tha but hum beth ke gappe ladhate the. You know because Anup was there and then there was Yamini ji and the kids were there aur mera sara kaam mostly unhi ke sath hai so huh it used to be lots fun chatting with them and you know sab ki apni apni kahani sab alag alag set se hazaro sets se jaa ke aye hai vaha pe kuch hua hai , yaha pe kuch hua hai so it was a that way It was lot of fun. The journey has been lots of fun not serious serious.

In the series you are seen with Anup Soni as his wife, so how is your equation with him?

Equation me yeh toh nahi kahe sakti hu ki vo mere friend hai. Vo kaffi senior hai mujhse but unme bhot theraw hai not just as an actor but as a human being toh esi altu faltu baat nahi karte hai but unhse jab bhi baat karo he is huh ap kuch na kuch sikh ke he nikalte ho. Kabhi vo kuch esa kis sa bataye ge ki vo kuch huh you know esi cheez batayege ya koi esa scene batayage jo unhone kia hai. Vo national school of drama se hai toh waha ki stories bhot batate the  aur again I will say ki kyu vo itne easy hi , effortless hai it made my job very easy to work with him you know  koi unhme attitude nahi hai bhot grounded hai vo toh mtlb kitne time se kaam kar rahe hai itna he is such a such a fine actor toh he made it through easy for me ki humko chemistry banane ki zarurat nahi padhi chemistry already thi from the first day you know.

What are your upcoming projects in future?

So there is something that’s ready already again it’s ready for release we are just waiting for the final day date from another OTT channel to confirm the only thing I can give you right now that is it is a full 180 degree turn from Manisha to something completely different. Me abhi toh kuch nahi batau gi apko bss yeh batau gi jaha Manisha soft hai  soft spoken hai , warm hai waha par yeh character thoda ruthless hai , selfish hai so mtlb  pura phenawa se le kar personality change literally like that opposite of Manisha completely.

Is OTT the future of entertainment?

I see you know OTT is not the future OTT is going to be there forever just like Theatre are going to be there for forever , just like TV is going to be for forever. So but kya hua hai ki ab pandemic aur OTT ka pretty much similar time pe rise hua hai ki you know do saal jab covid hua toh log ghr raheke kya karte unko entertainment chaiye aur ap kitna cricket dekho ge ya you know not everybody enjoys watching TV serial or movies all the time aur I think jab yeh content ane laga toh dono ki jo entry pretty much unfortunately similar time par hui and there is a reason why OTT touchwood is now doing well because A bhot  relateble stories hai , real stories hai ,Connected stories hai you know humare culture se bhot sari aur logo ko lagta hai ki ap jab ghr me apna home theatre bana ke aram se beth ke pach dus pandhra log picture dekh sakte hai aur masti mazak kar sakte hai toh why we step out if it’s not require. So there are multiple reasons that I think OTT is definitely here to stay as long as ki content acha aa raha hai aur you know log appreciate kare unko I think it’s going to be here for life definitely.

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