Piya Valecha talks about acting, the digital divide and television and more

Actress Piya Valecha is known for her work in TV serials like Balveer & Suraksha Pari, among others. She has also been seen in cameo roles in Dilli wali Thakur gurls as Zoya, while she played the parallel lead in popular show Bahu Hamari Rajnikant as Riya Oberoi. She also played the role of Princess Chhaya in the very famous show Chandra Nandini.

We got in touch with the actress to catch up with her on her journey so far, acting as a career, and much more. Read excerpts from the interview here.

How has acting treated you so far?

Well, I am really grateful to the industry and the people around for giving me work, accepting me in every role, and loving me. It gets a little difficult being an outsider, especially when you are not from Mumbai and I knew no one from the industry. But yes, trying out and not giving up has always been my attitude. To add, my acting career has made me more understanding and patient in life (laughs).

What would you say has been the most challenging aspect of your career?

Honestly, it’s the same with most of us, I guess. It starts from getting the casting call to auditioning for the role, doing all the look tests, and endlessly waiting to hear back for the confirmation. And there are times you never hear back from them and all you can do is keep yourself going positively and have the right state of mind and have Patience. If these rejections or setbacks are not handled well, they can lead to depression or frustration. It’s very important to keep yourself positive and have patience. 

If you were to pick up the next project, what kind would you want it to be?

I wish I could self-cast myself, but jokes apart, what I am looking for is a very good, impactful character - it can be a positive lead or a negative lead, but the best will be a grey shaded role. I am looking forward to a power-packed performance with meaningful lines and a well-written character.

Having done an array of shows and TV commercials, what's the next big thing you look forward to?

I guess everything is big in its own ways. We all want to do films, yes, no doubt if I get a performance oriented role in a film a big, yes. If no, then I am more than happy doing web shows and TV. As mentioned, it has to be something that I can offer myself to and for. Just looking good and doing no good is something that is a big no for me right now. 

With the digital space taking over, where do you see Television heading to?

I think it’s a tough competition for the makers and they have to change their content or the approach. But honestly, I think the audience is very different for both platforms. No doubt that the coming years are more towards OTT platforms, but I still feel both have their set of different audiences. I also wish to be a part of both platforms. TV is a longer commitment in terms of work, or from the audience's point of view, it’s to their own convenience, plus with some variation in the content, they can explore more.

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