“Experience Has Been My Only Teacher”

APARNA DIXIT tells JYOTHI VENKATESH in this exclusive e mail interview for bollyy.com and Mayapuri

What is your role in Pyar Ki Luka Chuppi?

My role in Pyar Ki Luka Chuppi varies from being soft spoken to respecting everyone. Srishti is a love driven person and has no anger or ego issues. Srishti is an emotional girl who excels in every work she does, but her priorities in life are love and her family. The role emphasizes on the importance to draw a line between being there for people and being taken for granted. She allows people to take her for granted which she later starts realizing. With different experiences in life, she learns to take a stand for herself. The role teaches her to maintain a balance in relationships and career. It is important to maintain it. But, on the other hand, her partner Sarthak is extremely career-oriented and neglects his family. Srishti realises this and takes a stand for herself. Srishti learns from her past experiences. From being a person who prioritizes only love, she learns to stand up for herself. She is yet love driven and an emotional person but now she knows that one must not fall blindly in love to that level where you even forget to differentiate between right and wrong.

What do you have to say about the TV channel Dangal?

This is my first experience of working with Dangal channel and I am glad I took this decision on the basis of my gut feeling. I never opted for an advice or a second opinion. I am glad about my choice. The USP of the channel is that their content is family-oriented which helps people to relate and connect to it. Talking about the show PR, the channel has done fantastic work for us. While the channel has been popular in rural cities, it is also gaining popularity in urban cities. I am very happy with my experience with the channel. I look forward to working with them in the future too.

What attracted you towards acting as such in the first place?

I have always been a filmy person but the thought of becoming an actor never crossed my mind. I was always inclined towards songs, music and dancing. Whenever I would watch a film, I would dress up like the character. But I had never thought that I would want to pursue acting as a career, nor did I know about the way to go about it. I feel destiny somehow makes you reach till your goal. God has paved my path and here I am – an actor today. It’s been so many years now and I don’t think there is anything else that I can do or would want to do, other than acting.

Was it easy for you to make your debut with Mahabharata as Ambika?

I wouldn’t call my initial days of the career as difficult. I think every person has a different kind of struggle. Some people struggle to bag their first opportunity while some face hardships after they get their first break, so their struggle is more of how to deal with the work pressure. God has been very kind that he gave me an opportunity and asked me to prove my worth to show my hard work and how much I respect the opportunity given to me. There was a time when I was juggling 3 shows at the same time. I was not sleeping well. There were times; I could not go home due to hectic schedules. So, I’d say that this journey of mine has been beautiful rather than labelling it as difficult, because I relish these memories. The urge to prove the opportunities bestowed on me has always been the driving factor.

You were part of the TV serial Kalash. In what way did your role in the serial help you blossom as an actress?

Kalash is one serial that has taught me the most in my career. Also, I was very young when I was offered this serial, which went on for 2 years. With the show, with my character, I also grew as an actor and also as a person, I learned a lot. The way my character was evolving and learning. Similarly as Aparna Dixit, I was also learning at the same time. Also, this serial gave me an opportunity to display different shades to my character. From being a small-town girl next door to standing for her own rights, going against people who went against her, dying and coming back as a different character, this show gave me much more than I could ever ask for. I consider this show as a milestone in my career.

Did you get to interact with actors who later shot to fame like Sushant Singh Rajput and Ankita Lokhande when you acted in the serial Pavitra Rishta?

Definitely, I got to interact with both of them. In fact, if I have to call someone family in Mumbai, it is Ankita. She’s like a sister to me. She has been my pillar of strength and my supporter. She has seen me grow and evolve. She has seen my graph from playing her sister in Pavitra Rishta to bagging lead roles. She has seen it all and been with me through all these years. Today, I share such a beautiful relationship with her. Our families bond well. We go on trips together.

Like Sushant and Ankita, did you think of taking up acting in films as your career after Pavitra Rishta? Were you scared of the syndrome of the casting couch?

It’s not like I haven’t thought about doing films. It is more of going with the flow for me. I try to make the most out of the opportunities that I get. If I get a good opportunity, be it films or web series, I am open to anything that requires good performance and challenges me. I would rather say that television has always been my first love. I have been constantly working on TV. I haven’t got the time to sit back and think of trying something else. Also, I am satisfied and content with where I am and what I am doing and the kind of work and love that I receive from the audience.

What was your experience acting in the serial Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai?

My experience has been amazing. There are a lot of reasons for it. First being, it was my lead show. It was for a new channel and therefore had a lot of on-ground promotion. I remember, there were hoardings of mine in Mumbai, Agra and many other cities. People appreciated me after seeing my hard work, and it felt like an achievement. While doing this show, I was also working on two other projects. I had no idea how I was managing everything. I thoroughly enjoyed those days. Today, when I recollect these memories, it leaves a pleasant smile on my face.

How tough was your role as Roxana in the serial Porus?

It was definitely a tough job to play Roxana’s role because it was a historical show and secondly because it was the first time that I was portraying such a character. In a daily soap, an actor usually has the liberty to play around the emotions. However, in a historical show, an actor has to be extremely careful while emoting scenes. Also, since I was portrayed as a warrior queen, I had to shoot war sequences in hot sun and dust which proved to be challenging. All said and done, it was a worthy experience. All that matters is that later in life when you recollect these days, you feel good about having made the right choice.

Tell me something about your role in Bepanaah Pyar on Colors TV as Baani

Bepanaah Pyar was a short and sweet experience for me. The first promo that Pearl and I shot for is till date the best promo for me. Also, whatever sequences that I had were all flashback scenes of Baani and Raghbir’s love story. Those romantic scenes were written and shot well. Also, I got to meet Pearl and Ishita. Both are amazing actors. I was aware of the fact that I was playing a cameo, but it turned out to be much better than my expectations and I am glad about it.

Describe your journey from the time you made your debut with Mahabharat to Pyar Ki Luka Chuppi.

My journey has been beautiful. I still remember, during my initial days I would not understand the camera angles, profiles etc. All the knowledge I have gained today is all from my experience. I never joined any acting schools. Experience has been my only teacher. Learning from one show was used in another and so on. I learnt a lot from all the senior actors that I shared the screen with and stayed grounded. My experience with my co-actors has been fantastic till date. I have learnt something from each of them. I have played some amazing characters in the past and made friends forever in this journey. I believe, every actor has a different journey and one really can’t compare one with another. I am extremely happy to have had my own beautiful journey.

Go on!

Whatever I have learnt by being through ups and downs has crafted my journey. There were times when I would become nervous to shoot some tough scenes, but today, when I see the difference in my graph, I have realised that those moments have made me who I am. There are times now also, when I feel nervous, but then I would want that to stay with me. I would never want to become over-confident. I want to keep learning and growing. I love what I do. I look forward to work every morning. I believe I am an actor because I love my work the most and this reason drives me to achieve more. I feel grateful to be a part of this industry that has blessed me in ways I can’t be thankful enough.

Who are the directors in your wish list as far as films are concerned?

The director who has always been on my wish list is Sanjay Leela Bhansali sir. I have always idolized him. The way he envisions and executes the songs, the dance, the set is something I really admire. He creates art on screen with every minute detail being taken care of. I would say, lucky are those who get to work with him. If I ever get a chance, I will definitely work with Sanjay sir. It will be a dream come situation true for me. Other than him, Raju Hirani and Imtiaz Ali are directors I would love to work with.

Which are your five favourite actors as well as actresses in Bollywood?

I don’t have a favourite actor as such. I like different actors in different films. I feel everybody has the potential if given an opportunity. However, the actor whose work I like the most is Ranbir Kapoor. I really like him as an actor.