Shweta Tiwari

Save for a couple of reality shows, she hasn’t been seen on television since Kasautii Zindagii Kay — the eight-year-long show that made her a household name and wound up early this year. But Shweta Tiwari is now back with an author-backed role in the Colors show Jaane Kya Baat Hui (Monday-Friday, 10.30pm). t2 caught up with Shweta for a chat…

What is your role in Jaane Kya Baat Hui all about?

I play a housewife called Aradhana Sareen. Aradhana is a simple woman who is devoted to her husband and her life centres around her family. So much so that she has lost her own identity. She does so much for her family, but feels neglected herself. She is trapped in a loveless marriage but doesn’t have the strength or will-power to break out and do something of her own. Aradhana is someone whom a lot of women in this country will be able to identify with.

What made you take on a role like this?

I have never played something like this before. All the characters that I have essayed in the past have been that of strong-willed, confident women. Yeh role mujhe kuchh naya karne ka mauka de raha hai. That was a huge incentive for me to take up the project.

How is Aradhana of Jaane Kya Baat Hui different from Prerna of Kasautii Zindagii Kay?

Zameen aasmaan ka farak hai dono mein. Prerna was a very strong, no-nonsense woman. Not only did she manage her house and her relationships with ease, she was also in charge of the family business. Aradhana, as I have mentioned, is a very docile woman who puts her family first. She is educated, but has never put her education to use. She sits at home, waiting for her wayward husband to come back to her. Prerna was an attractive woman who had a lot of men falling prey to her charms. Aradhana is also beautiful, but she neglects herself until one day she realises that she has to do something with her life. Despite that, Aradhana can never become another Prerna.

Why should the audience watch Jaane Kya Baat Hui?

There are so many women out there who are like Aradhana. Through this show we are just trying to tell these women that ‘don’t limit yourself to your family, build your own identity.’ Agar, khuda na khasta, aapke saath aisa hadsa ho jaaye jahan par aapke pati aapko cheat karein, atleast you should be independent financially.

How has your experience been so far on the show?

It’s been nothing short of phenomenal. I get along very well with my co-stars, especially Sanjit Bedi. All the actors who make up the Sareen family have bonded well. Our shifts are only for eight hours, but we enjoy each others’ company so much that most of us don’t leave the sets even after the shoot. I couldn’t have wished for a better team.

Jaane Kya Baat Hui has replaced a high TRP earner like Bigg Boss. Does that bring on added pressure?

Not really, because we have to understand that Bigg Boss was a reality show while Jaane Kya… is fiction. Whether it is Jaane Kya… or Uttaran (another new fiction series on Colors), they will both take their time to woo the audience. But I am pretty confident that the viewer who has been loyal to the 10pm-11pm slot on Colors will come back to watch both these new shows.

Do you think coming right after the television strike will benefit Jaane Kya Baat Hui?

I am sure it will. The audience is looking forward to fresh television content. Look at my mother and aunt for instance. During the television strike, they sat through the reruns of every show possible, even the ones that they had never watched in the first place. Now when new episodes are aired, they will definitely be watching many more shows, their interest having peaked with the reruns. Old serials as well as a new show like Jaane Kya Baat Hui stand to benefit from the strike.

Apart from Jaane Kya… what else is Shweta Tiwari doing?

Besides Jaane Kya… I am doing nothing else in fiction. I was a part of a reality show called Four Two Ka One on 9X. But I haven’t shot for it for quite sometime. I have heard the channel has run into some kind of trouble. I haven’t got a call from them yet.