Interview Jennifer Winget

It's a open heart conversation with Jyothi Venkatesh that Jennifer Winget touches various issues such as the show Zara Nachke Dikha, her fear of stage performance, Ganga in Sangam and above all her indomitable intention to act in films…

What exactly is Zara Nachke Dikha?
From a 10 year old boy to a 65 year old woman, across professions and in every corner of the country, both the genders have always wondered which the greater sex is after all. It is an attempt on the part of Star One to solve the debate on the gender war and is a battle of the sexes on the dance floor. The show will be telecast twice a week with eight boys and eight girls - all celebrities from the television industry who will be pitted against each other to prove their dancing mettle and hence superiority gender-wise, as a team. The best part of the show is that only the jury decides the winning team of the episode every week.

Is Zara Nachke Dikha your first attempt at taking part in a reality show?
Yes. It is for the first time that I am taking part in a reality show like Zara Nachke Dikha on Star One. Though I think I have managed to learn acting to a large extent ever since I had made my debut as an actress, I am aware of the bitter truth that I am not a trained dancer and hence I wanted to hone up my dancing talent and I thought by taking part in the show, I will get a chance to automatically learn the various intricate dancing steps. At the same time I also wanted to get rid of my stage fright.

Shows besides Zara Nachke Dikha you are associated with…
Right now the only show in which I am acting besides Zara Nachke Dikha is Sangam which is on air on Star Plus. I have been teamed opposite Chaitanya Chowdhury in the show, which is going great guns.

How do you manage to strike a balance between your serial Sangam as well as the reality show Zara Nachke Dikha?
I am thankful to Fox, the producers of my show Sangam, that they have let not only me but Chaitanya also to take time off to take part in the rehearsals for the reality show.

What is your role in the serial Sangam?
I play the role of Ganga, a sweet and bubbly girl who makes the transition from being an innocent village girl to a mature lady, thanks to the circumstances in which she finds herself in her journey in life and the trials and tribulations that she faces in her life, because she goes through a lot of muck.

How do you relate your reel life character Ganga with that of your real life?
When we started a year and a half ago, I could relate to Ganga when she was a sweet and bubbly and carefree young girl because I, too, was the same then. Now I am able to relate to the mature character of Ganga because like in reel life, there is thehrao in my real life, too, since, I, too, have matured like Ganga has in the show.

Would you say that your journey in life is similar to that of Ganga?
As far as emotion and growth are concerned, I can say that I relate to Ganga's journey in life somewhere, though I do not think I am as sweet as Ganga.

How challenging is your role as Ganga in Sangam?
It is quite a challenging role, because crying with emotions is not an easy task, since it is not every day that you cry as well as emote at the same time. There are few scenes that exhaust me completely and make me really break down on the sets.

Is Sangam your first TV serial as an actress?
It was with the serial Shakalaka Boom Boom that I debuted as an actress. I know Maninee De who is taking part in the reality show Zara Nachke Dikha from the time we were working together in Shakalaka, though I have met Delnaz and Narayani now only. I know others including Karishma Tanna who had acted with me in Koyi Dil Mein Hai.

Which are the other serials you have acted in earlier?
I have been a regular as far as Balaji Telefilms is concerned and learnt a lot with my association with Ekta Kapoor. I have acted in her serials like Kasauti Zindagi Ki, Kusum, Nimmo, Koyi Dil Mein Hai as well as Kartika.

Tell me about your beginning as a child star.
It was with the film Raja Ko Rani Se Pyaar Ho Gaya that I had made my debut as a child actor way back when I was just a twelve year old kid. The acting bug bit me since my mother has been working for the last several years, with producer R. Mohan who was making films under the banner of Good Night Films.

If I am not mistaken, you have already made your debut in films!
Yes. I had made my debut in films with Kuch Na Kaho as the younger sister of Abhishek Bachchan. Even now I am open for acting in films that come my way but I want to go a step ahead. I do not however want to take up roles as either a sister or a friend any more, because thankfully I have grown out of it after doing Kuch Na Kaho.

How comfortable will you be as far as exposing in films considering there is hardly any need for you to expose in Sangam?
In real life, I can comfortably carry off both western as well as Indian costumes. I am comfortable wearing skirts as well as saris. As far as exposure in films is concerned, all that I would like to say is that as long as one is comfortable with what one is wearing, I do not think should have any problem whatsoever.

You are not a trained actress. Where did you learn acting?
To tell you the truth, the television industry has been my training ground as far as acting is concerned. TV has taught me a lot since the time I had made my debut with Shakalaka. Though I think that I have to learn a lot, I feel that I have had an immense growth as an actor. When I look back at the beginning of my career, I feel that today I can do any kind of scene, be it an emotional scene or a comic one.

What is your approach to acting?
Though I have always believed that spontaneity plays a very vital role for any actress, I also feel that preparation is equally necessary to bring out the best in you as an actor. I feel that on the spot emotion when you perform on the sets without preparation affects the audience because it comes from within you.

Why do you maintain a very low profile when other actresses flaunt their latest scandals or boast about their latest cars?
I have always believed in keeping certain things private in my life, because whatever I do, people will come to know eventually for the simple reason that I am a public figure since I am acting in a popular serial.

Which among your roles has been very close to you till date?
I would not hesitate to mention that my roles in both Kasauti Zindagi Ki and Sangam have been and will always remain very close to my heart, because both Sneha and Ganga have been diverse as well as rich characters, which have taught me a hell of a lot as an actor. I think I owe whatever success that I have achieved till date to these two characters.

- Jyothi Venkatesh (SAMPURN)