Gunjan Walia - Article

Actress Gunjan Walia will be seen in a lead role for the first time in the Sahara serial Kuch Apne Kuch Paraye. She is pretty ecstatic about the role which she says is quite promising unlike many other run-of-the-mill shows seen on the tube these days.

What's your role in Kuch Apne Kuch Paraye?
I'm playing the protagonist Krishna. She is the daughter-in-law of the house. Vikram Gokhle is playing my father-in-law. In many ways, both their lives are similar. She has been abandoned by her husband, while Vikramji is being abandoned by his sons and daughters. Vikramji has accepted Krishna as his daughter. She is the only link left in the family as he still hopes for a family re-union. Krishna maybe sad, but never shows her true emotions in front of anyone.

How's this story different from the other soaps?
First of all, it's not a saas-bahu drama. It makes the audience sit up and think. In today's developed society too, people still don't consider their daughter-in-law as a daughter.

Let's talk about your previous assignments.
I have worked in Sindoor and Kesar. Then I did a parallel lead role in Aisa Des Hai Mera. I even hosted a kids' show on Hungama TV which was my first assignment.

How did you bag the lead role in Kuch Apne Kuch Paraye?
I got a call from the production house. My audition which went pretty well. It was unexpected for me because Krishna is a quiet girl whereas I am very bubbly in real life and I thought I would never get selected. The only thing which matches between Krishna and me is the love and affection we have towards other human beings. It is a real challenge for me to play a character which is not my real self.

Tell us about your experience working with your co-stars.
They all are wonderful and great people. Especially Chaitanya and Vikram Ghokhle are fantastic to work with. They are always there to help me out.

Can you tell us something about your background?
I come from a small city in Punjab, called Phagwara. It is between Jalandhar and Ludhiana. I did my schooling and college from Jalandhar. During those days, I was always associated with theatre activities. I even anchored a show in Punjab, which was aired on Lashkara channel. In Delhi, I saw an ad in the newspaper for the post of an airhostess. I was lucky to be chosen and was sent to Mumbai for training.

In Mumbai, on a day off, I was seated with my friends at Caf Coffee day, when we came to know about some auditioning going on at Balaji Telefilms. I thought about giving it a try. I was luckily selected by Balaji for hosting a show on Hungama. And that's how my acting career began.

How has your life changed after taking on a daily?
It hasn't changed much as after doing so much of work; I have become used to the daily schedules. In fact I enjoy it, as I can never sit idle. When I was flying, even then I didn't have time to waste since my schedule was hectic.

Are you working on any other project?
At the moment, I just want to concentrate on this show. I will decide after it's launched on November 14. Until then, I am just waiting and hoping that my new flight would be a good one.

Shows on Sahara aren't doing well compared to its competitive channels. Are you a little apprehensive?
Not at all. It's a totally new product that we are launching. Besides that, Wo Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki and Kittu Sab Jaanti Hai are doing quite well. (Sampurn)