Narayani Shastri on having played mother to Akashdeep Saigal in her 20s

The small-screen world as we know exhibits a blend of actors who have very different approaches to the way they choose roles and then what we are presented on-screen.

On one hand, some actors are rather particular on not willing to age on-screen while they are in their younger years because as we know, one character is enough to have the actor get typecast very easily.

On the other hand, there have always been actors who don't shy away to age on-screen even in their younger years or even repeat characters.

One such actor has been Narayani Shastri. The actor has been on the tube for umpteen years now and while she has reached a certain age now and has played a lot of on-screen mother characters, she recently reminded that even in her 20s, she did not shy away to age on-screen.

Talking about it with ETimes TV, Shastri said,  “Many years ago, I played Akashdeep Saigal's mother in Kkusum. I was in my 20s then and it was completely okay for me because I have never worried about ageing on screen or even in real life for that matter. If the role is meaty, focuses on me and challenges me, I have no qualms about playing a saas or a mother.”

She added, “I should be happy doing the show. Whether it is a lead role or not, does not matter. At my age, I can’t be playing a 20-year old dancing around trees or romancing someone in college. Those days when women had to graduate to typical 'mom' roles are over. There is no dearth of strong roles for women on television or films today. The TV show Anupamaa is a good example and if any actress waits, you do land interesting roles. This whole perspective about only a hero or heroine's role being important is wrong. I feel that my character should be essential to the show and its absence should be missed by viewers. That's how I choose my roles. It has to be a strong pillar of the show. Krutika Desai, one of the senior actors in television, is a great example of how people continue to get interesting roles. She is doing an interesting role in Pandya Store.”

That is indeed true, isn't it?