Himani Shivpuri: Playing Katori Amma in Binaiferr Kohli's Happu Ki Ultan Paltan is a dream-come-true thing

Every actor wants to try their hand at comedy at least once in their career. But not everyone gets that opportunity. Veteran actor Himani Shivpuri, who has done a number of films and TV, shares her interest in the genre and why it is the most difficult to approach. She is, in fact, a part ongoing popular TV comedy, Happu Ki Ultan Paltan. She plays the role of Kartori Amma in the show produced by Binaiferr Kohli and Sanjay Kohli’s Edit II Productions.

“Well, I basically understand the scenes, put my heart and soul in the moment and start doing what the scene is demanding out of me. Yes, personal life does affect you, but you have to learn to keep it aside from professional life and make people laugh,” she says.

The humour lies in the situation, according to her. “So if you play according to the situation, the humour comes. It's not the face, and you can't differentiate between the face and the words because it's not just one thing. It is a mixture of everything,” she adds.

About the best compliment that she has got for Kartori Amma, she begins by expressing gratitude for all the love coming her way.

“Well, people love my character Katori Amma in Happu Ki Ultan Paltan. Wherever I go, they love my dialogue ‘Nimbu Nichod Denge’ (smiles). The best compliment I got so far is people telling me that during the pandemic, when everyone was so depressed, our show made them smile and also gave them a lot of strength. Some have also told me that they love whatever I do and that I remind them of their mother,” she shares.

Many people say that comedy helps them to unwind and forget all their troubles. Agreeing, Himani adds, “Yes, definitely, because if you watch a serious show or anything that is dark, it affects you. After all, anything you see generates emotions within you. So if you're seeing something sad or negative, you get this negative feeling. But if you're watching a light-hearted comedy, a clean show, you will feel happy. So I think it makes the audience happy.”

The comedy will always have its audience intact. But then the quality and approach need to be good, feels the actor. Praising Binaiferr, Sanjay and their Edit II Productions team, the actor says that the couple knows the pulse of the audience and ensures that quality is never compromised. 

“We share a nice warm relationship which continued through the years. In between, there were so many times when I was approached by Edit II Productions for a role, but unfortunately, I didn't have dates. But this time around, everything worked out. Also, I was anyway a big fan of their show Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai. I love the way the director and writer work here. When I got this opportunity of working, the character that was narrated to me was really a dream role for any performer. Katori Amma is a multi-layered character. It's a dream-come-true opportunity for me. I flirt with my husband, who is no longer there, and I'm smacking my son, but I'm a loving mother too, and there's this fun argument between my daughter and me in law which has been loved by the people because it is healthy as we patch up in the end. So I love playing the character,” she ends.