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I am the luckiest vamp on TV:Ammaji
Suruchi Sharma , TNN 22 November 2009, 12:00am ISTText Size:
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Meghna Malik, Ammaji of Naa Aana Iss Des Laado, spoke to TOI on her character, female infanticide and
more.
We have seen you playing different characters, how did you land up playing a devilish character like Ammaji?
I won't categorise it as devilish, I would call it a magnificent character. I don't see characters as negative or positive, because both negative and positive co-exist and it is more of the circumstances that are negative or positive. Ammaji, the character I play, has her reasons to be the way she is. And as to how did I land up doing this role – I have been working in Mumbai for the past nine years, and the producers knew me, so one day I got a call for the look test, and the second day I got a call to report for the shoot.
Was it a conscious decision to play a negative character or it just happened to you?
I have never planned my career in any way. I never planned my work thinking that ok ay... now I am doing this and later I will do that. When I got a call for this role, I accepted it because I saw it as a very challenging character, and not just a decorative piece. I am lucky to be playing Ammaji.
The serial is about female foeticide? What is your stand as Meghna Malik on this issue?
Ammaji is a victim of a mindset, that a male child is important than a female child. But Meghna is far away from what Ammaji is in real life. I strongly feel that a girl and a boy should be treated equally. Women should be given freedom to live life on their terms, and should have freedom of choice.
Isn't it ironic that the serial is about female foeticide and the most powerful character in the serial is a woman?
Yes, the serial is about female foeticide, but this woman, Ammaji, is not the first one to begin this practice. She is instrumental in this evil practice as it has been a tradition of the place where she lives. When she came to this village, she came as a bahu, she came as an outsider. So, after coming here, she became a victim of that mindset. In her case, there is a dichotomy – she is a victim, at the same time she is the mukhiya of a whole village. Power then corrupts her.
But the serial doesn't talk about how Ammaji becomes the way she is...
They haven't yet, but I hope they do. That will be interesting, because when people see such a character, they would want to know why she is the way she is.
Dadisa or Ammaji, who is the bigger villain of the two?
Both the characters are female heads and rule the household and that's the only similarity between the two characters. Ammaji is larger than life, Dadisa is a ghar ka character, you will find a Dadisa in every household, but not Ammaji. She is a lady don. So the two women are very different.
What kind of responses are you getting for your negative role?
I am the luckiest vamp on TV! I have never come across anyone who says that I am bad. In fact, people have complimented me for my role. Surprisingly, kids come up to me and hug me when I go out!
Supposedly, Haryana CM sent a letter to the Government expressing his displeasure over the show. Comment.
I don't know what the reasons of displeasure were. Our show is only to create awareness. It is not region bound; the village we show is some village in the northern part of India. That's it. It's not a story of someone, and is certainly not about Haryana; this is about whole of India, desh bhar ka mudda hai yeh. We are just creating awareness. There is absolutely no intention to hurt the viewers in any sense.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv-/I-am-the-luckiest-vamp-on-TVAmmaji-/articleshow/5255380.cms
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We have seen you playing different characters, how did you land up playing a devilish character like Ammaji?
I won't categorise it as devilish, I would call it a magnificent character. I don't see characters as negative or positive, because both negative and positive co-exist and it is more of the circumstances that are negative or positive. Ammaji, the character I play, has her reasons to be the way she is. And as to how did I land up doing this role – I have been working in Mumbai for the past nine years, and the producers knew me, so one day I got a call for the look test, and the second day I got a call to report for the shoot.
Was it a conscious decision to play a negative character or it just happened to you?
I have never planned my career in any way. I never planned my work thinking that ok ay... now I am doing this and later I will do that. When I got a call for this role, I accepted it because I saw it as a very challenging character, and not just a decorative piece. I am lucky to be playing Ammaji.
The serial is about female foeticide? What is your stand as Meghna Malik on this issue?
Ammaji is a victim of a mindset, that a male child is important than a female child. But Meghna is far away from what Ammaji is in real life. I strongly feel that a girl and a boy should be treated equally. Women should be given freedom to live life on their terms, and should have freedom of choice.
Isn't it ironic that the serial is about female foeticide and the most powerful character in the serial is a woman?
Yes, the serial is about female foeticide, but this woman, Ammaji, is not the first one to begin this practice. She is instrumental in this evil practice as it has been a tradition of the place where she lives. When she came to this village, she came as a bahu, she came as an outsider. So, after coming here, she became a victim of that mindset. In her case, there is a dichotomy – she is a victim, at the same time she is the mukhiya of a whole village. Power then corrupts her.
But the serial doesn't talk about how Ammaji becomes the way she is...
They haven't yet, but I hope they do. That will be interesting, because when people see such a character, they would want to know why she is the way she is.
Dadisa or Ammaji, who is the bigger villain of the two?
Both the characters are female heads and rule the household and that's the only similarity between the two characters. Ammaji is larger than life, Dadisa is a ghar ka character, you will find a Dadisa in every household, but not Ammaji. She is a lady don. So the two women are very different.
What kind of responses are you getting for your negative role?
I am the luckiest vamp on TV! I have never come across anyone who says that I am bad. In fact, people have complimented me for my role. Surprisingly, kids come up to me and hug me when I go out!
Supposedly, Haryana CM sent a letter to the Government expressing his displeasure over the show. Comment.
I don't know what the reasons of displeasure were. Our show is only to create awareness. It is not region bound; the village we show is some village in the northern part of India. That's it. It's not a story of someone, and is certainly not about Haryana; this is about whole of India, desh bhar ka mudda hai yeh. We are just creating awareness. There is absolutely no intention to hurt the viewers in any sense.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv-/I-am-the-luckiest-vamp-on-TVAmmaji-/articleshow/5255380.cms
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