How Kamya Punjabi Saved her marriage - Article

GETTING BACK TO MY HUSBAND WAS THE BEST DECISION

The New Year has bought a lot of good luck for one of the most hated vamps on television. Kamya Punjabi as Sindoora in Zee's highly successful Banoo Main Teri Dulhann, had managed to garner quite a fan following. Her fans loved to hate the pretty actress, who tried hard to create a wedge between the serial's lead couple Sagar and Vidya, later reincarnated as Amar and Divya.

Recently, her character was killed in the show, which left many disappointed including Kamya herself. Fortunately, she's back in the show and all set to create havoc in everyone's lives. Kamya is thrilled to bits at this development, for …Dulhann is a show very close to her heart.

Her marriage to Bunty Negi, which was in a spot of bother a while ago, has now got a fresh lease of life as well. For Kamya, her professional and personal life couldn't be any more rocking.

After being a part of both Comedy Circus 2 and Kaante Ki Takkar for Sony, Kamya was doing nothing at all. I met her when she was deciding her look for her return to …Dulhann. All confused about the kind of hairdo she should sport in the show, the excitement of going back to something she loves doing is apparent on her face. "It feels amazing," she says, her face aglow with happiness.

"I'm very happy. When I left the show, I knew the channel and the creatives must have decided something. But when they told me Sindoora is going to die, for some time I just went blank. I didn't know how to react. It was a show and character that was so close to my heart. I have gone through so much, seen so many ups and down in my life, still I saw to it that my work was not affected and Sindoora was the strongest character in the family.

I never wanted any problems for the character. I played Sindoora for more than two and a half years. See, I have played a lot of characters before, but I made Sindoora. Right from her look, to the characterization, make-up, everything, I worked so hard on her. In the beginning, my assistant directors would argue with me that she isn't loud enough.

She doesn't look like a vamp; her character isn't coming out so well. They would ask me to exaggerate the make-up and jewellery. But I had decided something and just wanted to do it. If it worked, then great, if it wouldn't have worked, it wasn't a problem because I could always get back to playing a normal vamp."

But it worked and how. Kamya agrees that people would constantly talk about Sindoora's saris, her bindis, her nose-ring, her simplicity. "I never adopted the attitude of let me just take my money and go home. When they came to me and said that they had thought of doing something better for the story (killing Sindoora), I said okay. As long as they were not replacing me with somebody else, it was fine. Whether I'm there in the show or not, I still take it as my show. If it's not working, I feel bad and hurt. And when it is, I feel immense happiness. But now, I'm just glad to be back."

Since she's been so honest about the show, she'd have to admit that it seems quite dragged now. The plot is rather stretched, and there is a general feeling that perhaps the story could be brought to a logical end. She laughs hesitantly before saying, "Well…Dulhann was the only show on television that beat Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Aur aisa beat kiya ki Kyunki…off-air hi ho gaya. It didn't work only after that.

We've always had good TRPs; we even became No 1. But now after three years, obviously the ratings are slightly affected. I feel that a good show should be brought to a logical point and then ended. But it doesn't happen that way anymore. If the channel is making money, then why stop it? If people still want to watch Divya and Amar and Sindoora, then why not?

We are on air five days a week, whereas a number of other shows are on four days a week. We've even discussed making it a four-day-week thing. But we rake in TRPs on Friday too. So why stop? As long as business is good, it could drag, but it continues. There are so many shows still on from five-six years. People feel they are dragging too. In a daily soap, after a point, what can you do anyway?

It drags a bit, then you introduce a new plot, then it drags again and so on. This is a part of daily-soap television. Every show has its time. …Dulhann also saw its days of glory. We don't have those TRPs now, but we have decent TRPs. I'm hoping once I come back, it makes a difference," she says crossing her fingers.

That only time will tell us. But her re-entry should make a difference to Divyanka Tripathi, the main lead in the show, with whom she supposedly shares cold vibes. "Honestly, we are not the best of friends. But we are not on bad terms with each other. When we meet, we always say hello to each other.

We work together, do our scenes together, sometimes there's fun and masti on the sets too. I am closer to Sharad (Malhotra, the male lead) than Divyanka. We have more fun. But there isn't any insecurity or problem. As far as insecurity is concerned, Divyanka would be the better person to answer."

Sindoora's entry in the show created quite a furore. Once there was a time, when Sharad and Divyanka were the most popular stars. But Sindoora changed all that. It was a case of the villain gaining more popularity than the leads. "Neither the channel, nor the producers and even I didn't think that Sindoora would become so big. We never thought the character would get so popular. Even the hoardings that were put up later had me featured prominently. But again, as far as we three are concerned, Sharad, Divyanka and me, we don't have any problem with each other."

Post her character being killed in …Dulhann; there were a lot of offers that came Kamya's way. None unfortunately impressed her. "They were from good production houses. But I didn't take up anything. It wasn't like I needed a break, nor was I looking for something different. Basically I'm not a very loud person, in my personal or professional life.

But the offers coming my way were of very loud and typical vamps. Let me add that I don't mind being slotted as a vamp. In fact, I like it. I hate crying. I can't be a heroine in the show and keep crying. I would love to make people cry rather than cry."
Kamya said no to some plays as well, as they were again from the comedy genre, which she desperately needed a break from post her Comedy Circus stint. Instead she is really looking forward to doing some serious theatre.

Kamya took this time off to spend some quality time with her husband Bunty, travelled with him and made the effort to resurrect her marital life. "I went to the States for a holiday. I celebrated Diwali in a grand way after years. It was personal time and it really helped my marriage. My husband got so used to having me at home always and doing things for him. I'm actually a very homely person.

I love taking care of the house, cleaning, making food. I love cooking and inviting people over for food and get-togethers. But then after a point I knew I had to get back to work. I'm very clear in my head. After some time, I want to have babies and relax and sit at home. I want to become a mother. And I don't want to be in a place where I have to work. It should be because I want to work.

It should be out of choice, not compulsion. Thankfully, God has been kind to me. My husband is doing very well, so that way I have no problem. If I want to work, I will, otherwise I won't. I had become too lazy then. I'd wake up aaramse by 12-1 pm. So I wanted to be back and …Dulhann was the perfect vehicle. I would rather do my show than anything else."

Kamya insists that getting back to her husband Bunty was the best decision she could have taken. "I am very happy with my life, very peaceful and secure. I feel life is complete now. I don't have too many friends, only a few.

My husband is more like a friend to me. Life is good. I have to say that getting back was the best decision. Soon I want to have babies. I love to sing but I'm a bad singer. So I often tell Bunty that when I get pregnant, I will take singing lessons and keep singing at home and call people home to hear my singing," she giggles.

As always a typical meglomaniac... and thats what she projects through her character- SINDOORA... TOO FULL OF HERSELF, TOO OVERCONFIDANT AND TOO OVERBEARING!!! Ugghhhhhh hate her!!😡