‘I can’t ask for favours’ - Article

Navni Parihar was not seen much on TV for the past six years — barring two to three episodics that she did in that time and some

Navni Parihar. (TOI Photo)

commercials.

Now she's back to her passion — acting in the show Babul ka Aangann Chutey Na playing the role of a doting mother and mother-in-law. Ask her about the long break and she says, "I didn't want to do daily soaps because I'd never attempted one earlier. I'd heard that daily soaps were very taxing and I was uncertain about the shooting schedules," says Navni, adding, "I had family commitments and I didn't want to take up anything that made it difficult to manage my home and my career. I have two young daughters and a very busy husband." Being a creative person, she spent her time indulging in creative pursuits like sketching, painting and dancing.

She continues, "Acting is my passion but it's not my bread and butter. So when Babul... was offered to me, I took it up simply to try out whether it works, as now my daughters are grown up. It was a bit difficult initially but I'm managing beautifully now."

Navni rues that she has the image of a serious actress whereas she would love playing all sorts of characters. "I love playing negative characters as they are more challenging and have different shades and you can perform a lot. A positive role is difficult because you have to be goody-goody all the time." And what about comedy? "I like situational comedies but nobody's offered me such roles. I'm very shy to approach people for roles. I can't even ask my friends for that favour. It's not that I'm proud but I'm an introvert and it takes time for me to open up. And that's the reason I need creativity to express myself," says the actress whose ultimate goal is to do social work and help disabled children.