| BARKHA BISHT tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that she is happy with the accolades that she is receiving for acting in 'Doli Sajake' and is not exactly dying to be a film star What is your role in Aroona Irani's serial 'Doli Sajake' on Sahara One?
I play the role of Anupama, an unlucky daughter who is hated by her father because her birth unfortunately coincides with the death of her mother. Her father does not even want to see her face. He distances himself from her from the day she is born and she lives under the stigma of a manhoos. Is it true that though you are not exactly a raw new actress, you were asked to do an audition by Aroona Irani for 'Doli Sajake'? Yes. Though I had earlier acted in 'Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi' , 'Kasauti' and 'Pyar Ke Do Naam', I was asked to give an audition by Aroonaji. I readily gave not only one audition but also two 'look' tests because they were needed to make sure that I suit the role of Anupama. The day I start thinking that I am too big an actress to agree for an audition, people would stop calling me and I will lose out on meaty roles in big serials. To what extent do you identify yourself with the character you play in the serial?
I do not identify much with the character of Anupama that I am playing in 'Doli Sajake', because in real life my father dotes on me very much and I am the pet of my household.My dad is not as bad as Anuuj Saxena who plays my father in the serial is. Though dad wasn't very keen on me taking up acting as my career, he loves me and has given encouragement to all three daughters of his to be independent, though we do not misuse the freedom How would you describe your character in 'Doli Sajake'?
Anupama is a sweet and simple 22-year-old girl. She may not be extremely beautiful but she wins over people with an innate charm of her own and simplicity in her demeanor. She is very timid and nervous but has a lot of strength of character. Anupama can bear the biggest travails without complaining and in spite of the rough hand destiny deals to her; she comes out as an inherently positive character. What did you like about the character of Anupama?
Anupama is today's woman, but yet not today's woman. She is innocent and yet scared of her father. How did you prepare to get into the skin of the character?
If you work for almost eighteen hours every day on the sets of a TV serial, you automatically tend to get into the skin of the character which you are asked to portray.Aroonaji asked me to watch the DVDs of films like 'Sujata' and 'Anupama' carefully and adopt the body languages of Nutan and Sharmila Tagore. Fortunately, I am blessed with a black skin and am dusky and hence half the battle was won. Do you regret that you are dark skinned?
Not at all. I have no regrets that I possess a black sin. I am proud that I am dark. I think dusky girls look better on screen. If you are too fair, your features are not properly projected on the screen To what extent did the character of Anupama challenge your sensibilities?
The character of Anupama did not challenge my sensibilities because I knew from where the character comes from. In real life, I am a bit of both introvert as well as an extrovert whereas Anupama is a much-closed person. When did the acting bug bite you?
Acting ka keeda bachpan se hi tha. More than films, I was keen on taking up work in serials as an actress. I had been modeling while I was in college. In fact, I took part in Gladrags contest and won the title Miss Body Beautiful too. In what way is anchoring for Popkorn Newz different from acting in 'Doli Sajake'?
Anchoring distresses you since there are no pressures associated with it unlike in acting. It is any day more of a challenge to be an actress, since you have to do display a gamut of emotions like romancing, laughing etc.Though I cannot deny the fact that acting gives me more money than anchoring, to reach Mandira Bedi's level as an anchor, you have no other alternative but to quit acting and concentrate only on anchoring. What role did you play in 'Kasauti'?
'Kasauti' is even today one of my favorite serials on television. I did a small role as Anurag Basu's niece in it. It was indeed a dream come true as far as I was concerned. What is your USP as an actress?
My USP as an actress is that I am very passionate about acting. It is a fact that I do not at all tire of shooting even for two hours for a two- minute shot in a serial. Why do you seem not too inclined to act in films?
To be frank with you, I have always been quite worried about the syndrome of the casting couch, which is prevalent in films. I am not exactly dying to be a film star but as and when I am offered a film I'd be ready to accept it on my own terms and conditions. I feel that any day TV is a safer profession to be in. Besides that, I think you have stability as far as television is concerned, whereas as far as films are concerned, you zoom to great heights one Friday when your film turns out to be a super duper hit and then you tend to be in oblivion if your film flops. Which was the serial with which you had made your debut as an actress on television?
'Doli Sajake' is actually my second serial in the lead. I had made my debut with the serial 'Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi', which was on air on MTV. Out of around 21,000 girls who were auditioned for the part, only eight were selected by MTV for the show. My co-stars in it were Manasi who later shot to fame with the serial 'India Calling' and Panchi who bagged the serial 'Kayamat' after 'Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi'. With 'Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi', I got an opportunity to prove that I can tackle comedy roles too with ease. Which serial till date has challenged the actress in you the maximum?
I think 'Pyar Ke Do Naam' is one serial, which has challenged me the maximum as an actress since I played not one or two but three different roles in it, as the subject spanned three generations in the serial. It was indeed a learning experience acting in the serial since I appeared in 100 episodes. http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=xtras&am p;am p;am p;subsection=showbuzz&xfile=May2007_tvtrack_standard368& amp; amp; amp;child=tvtrack | 
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