Apara Mehta's life tracked on the lines of the life of Paro, the happy-go-lucky daughter-in-law she played in Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka(EMHSK). As in the serial- she lost her mother-in-law and then her father, and then her husband lost a fortune at the stock exchange and they began almost all over again. Today, though, is another day. In heavy demand for TV serials, films and plays, she is all smiles. "There is light at the end of every dark tunnel," she quips. Better known as Savita 'chachi', she has become a household name- courtesy her colourful saris, big bindis and swaying walk in Balaji Telefilms Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (KSBKBT) wherein she plays wife, daughter-in-law, and now grandmother. As of now, she has completed over 2700 episodes of Hindi TV serials! Add to this her episodes of Gujarati TV serials and Gujarati-n-Hindi stage shows, and you wonder where she acquires her fitness levels from! She takes after her mother, Mandakini Mehta, who was a Gujarati theatre artiste. Recently when she was in Ahmedabad, she had a pleasant surprise when she discovered that she was the great-granddaughter (thirteen generations down) of the character Kusum in the famous Saraswati Chandra written 200 years ago. Over hot cups of tea at her Santa Cruz residence in suburban Mumbai, she relives her past, underlines her present and dreams about her future in a tete a tete with Vickey Lalwani. |
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You married quite early. Right? |
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So you are basically a theatre artiste? |
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How did you get into the performing arts? |
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And then? |
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How much has KSBKBT given you? Mihir's death in the serial certainly helped the serial to become the talk of the town and the cast members to become known faces. The day Mihir died, I became the mother of every man in this country. I got thousands of letters condoling me on my fictional son's death! |
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Who designed your look in KSBKBT? |
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How did KSBKBT happen? I can't fathom why common sense is becoming so uncommon these days. The Virani 'parivar' is a big industrialist family in Mumbai. Don't many ladies from industrialist families in Mumbai dye their hair? |
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Tell us about your theatre assignments. |
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How did 'Devdas' happen? And how was the experience? |
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Other films? |
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How do you define acting? Also, one's IQ plays a big role in deciding whether you are a good actor. The more intelligent you are, the better you'll be. You should be able to understand your scene to portray exactly what the writer has visualised and what the director wants out of the script. Acting cannot come by training. I don't do any homework. I feel and react, not pause, ponder and dramatise. All those who come from so-called acting schools are certainly not superior than those like me who believe that acting requires no method. Let me elaborate on this. |
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Yes? |
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Do you think that being a stage artiste has helped you on television? |
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Have you refused mouthing some lines or doing a particular scene? |
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Your strengths as an actress? |
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Your weaknesses as an actress? My husband and daughter would definitely tell you those, not I(laughs). But honestly, I have learnt to camouflage those weaknesses, and those cannot be easily seen unless the audience is watching with a magnifying glass! |
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What gives you most satisfaction- theatre, television or films? Theatre. Theatre satisfies the creative actor lurking inside me and whets my appetite instantly. It draws the best out of me, and I still get an immense thrill when the curtains go up. Above all, theatre improves my confidence levels all the time which helps me as a person. As a theatre artiste, you have to be confident all the time. You have no time to fumble, stumble and pick yourself up. |
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And between the positive and negative characters? |
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Some roles you would like to play on television? |
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Your co-stars with whom you share a good rapport? |
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Is the KSBKBT innings never going to end? |
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How satisfied are you at this point in your career? I want to earn name and respect as an actor by playing mind-blowing roles in all the three media - films, television and stage. The order of mentioning them does not indicate my preference. I refused Yash Raj Films 'Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai'. They were casting me opposite Deven Varma, for whose age I wouldn't have qualified even as the third wife. The role was eventually done by Bindu which I think was fair enough. I turned down Karan Johar's forthcoming home production 'Kal Ho Na Ho' because the role had no substance. At the end of every day, my family should feel proud of me. And finally when I am sitting on a rocking chair, I should feel having achieved something in life. |
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