She once ruled television as Pammi in the STAR Plus TRP topper Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand. Sangita Ghosh now makes a comeback of sorts with her first-ever negative role in Rishton Ka Chakravyuh (Monday to Saturday at 6pm on STAR Plus). t2 caught up with the 41-year-old on her new show, her 30-year career (!) and some faves, when she was in Calcutta recently to promote the show.
How does the Bengali girl feel in Calcutta today?
I am coming back to Calcutta after a long time. I can’t quite seem to remember when I last visited... maybe during the promotions of (Sony show) Kehta Hai Dil Jee Le Zara (hides her face).
One thing I love about Calcutta the most is its food! I have rosogollas only from Calcutta. Whenever my sister comes to visit me in Mumbai, she gets me rosogollas from here. I also like the street food and the saris. The first time I watched a polo game, it was in Calcutta. Overall, I think Calcutta is amazing... except for the traffic! (Laughs)
From Pammi in Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand to Saachi in Kehta Hai Dil Jee Le Zara, you have always chosen different roles. What can you tell us about your role in Rishton Ka Chakravyuh?
The serial depicts the conflict between a mother (Satrupa, played by Narayani Shastri) and daughter (Anami, played by Mahima Makwana). Adding a twist to their crooked equation is the character of Sudha, played by me. There are vamps on TV shows, but Sudha is something else. Her style of silently changing the game with her wicked ways is 10-fold ahead of what you would have seen an antagonist doing on any show. Initially the character is a suspense, but gradually, the
audience will understand that Sudha has a major connection with the Lal Mahal (the palace owned by the royal family in the show). She is not the typical negative character who wears dark kohl and gives looks. Sudha is an antagonist with an agenda.
That’s a first for you. Excited or nervous?
Both, honestly. Television keeps changing every six months. Jo negative hai woh positive ho jaata hai and vice-versa. Everyone is trying to create something new... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Maybe I’ll be good as a negative character, maybe I won’t... at least I’ll come to know (smiles and winks).
I think Pammi in Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand was the only character that I played where I was absolutely positive. Mere saamne koi aisa aa jaaye toh main bimaar hi par jaun! (Laughs) But that is how people like you. When my mother-in-law came to know ki mujhse unke bete ki shaadi hone waali hai, she had created an idea of who and what I am based on the characters I have played! India mein people are so simple and so innocent ki unko lagta hai TV mein jo hota hai wahi real mein bhi hota hai!
Out of the many roles you have played, which character defines you the most ?
Everything is fiction, to be honest. What we do is put a little bit of ourselves in every character we play. But if I have to answer your question, it would be Saachi from Kehta Hai Dil Jee Le Zara because the situations were quite similar, I think.
Moving away from TV, you have a connection with polo now...
I went to learn horse-riding and there I met my husband (Shailendra Singh Rajput). Polo is the toughest and the most thrilling game. I don’t know if people know about it but India has made it to the World Cup this year, and defeated Pakistan in the qualifiers. I was introduced to polo because of my husband. They say it is a royal sport, but trust me, it is a pain because you are risking everything. It’s a very high-maintenance sport.
What are your other interests?
I love watching sports and movies. Purani purani filmein... not like ekdum purani... but ya, I like romcoms and I can watch Pretty Woman I don’t know how many times! I like to cook as well as eat.... Travel, of course... I’ve been travelling a lot.
You’ve been a part of this industry for 30 years now!
Ya, ya. I have been a part of the industry... from Doordarshan to these private channels. I think I’ve worked on almost all channels — DD1, DD Metro, Zee TV, STAR, Sony TV, B4U... aur bhi honge. My first show (Hum Hindustani) was with Hrishida (Hrishikesh Mukherjee) when I was 10.
In my early 30s, I realised I am just moving from one studio to another and I have no time for my parents and brother. So I said ‘Nahin ab nahin karna yeh. Jab tak I am not bored of doing nothing, I am not doing anything else (smiles). I travelled a lot, met new people, made new friends, got to meet my husband, discovered a new culture, learnt so much about polo, learnt how to cook... so ya, it was good!
So what’s the change you see on TV these days?
People are very frustrated nowadays. I have realised this is because everyone wants to tell a good story but they don’t know how to sell it. Everyone had time earlier, there used to be less number of shows... Chhayageet, Chitrahaar, Ramayan or Mahabharat. Now everyone tries to outdo the other one and in that process, things are going crazy! Sometimes you strike a chord with the audience, sometimes you don’t. Audience is also not a fool. They have a lot of
options available now.
You are quite active on Twitter, but not on other social media. Any reason why?
I am not a social media person at all. I joined Twitter because my co-actor Ruslaan (Mumtaz, who acted with Sangita in Kehta Hai Dil Jee Le Zara) zabardasti opened my account and he has specifically asked me to be regular on it. I understand social media is the need of the hour, but I can’t yaar... I’m too lazy!
Text: Manasi Shah
