MUSBA HASHMI speaks with Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain fame SHUBHANGI ATRE who talks about her journey and experience being a part of Kitchen Champion
How have things changed after playing Angoori Bhabhi?
A lot has changed. I took a break of two years in my career and was waiting for a good project where I get to play a good character. Playing Angoori was the right choice. It is important for an actor to get to play a good role after coming back from a break. Angoori has become the biggest role of my life. Playing her is a treat for me and I have enjoyed playing it. This role has offered me a lot of fame, Angoori has now become an household name and it feels good. I have also won many awards for the role.
Did you ever think that this character will become so popular?
I never imagined it. When I got to play this character, I was replacing someone else for the role. It came with a lot of responsibility. I decided to give my 100 per cent to the character. I didn’t think that I will get this much love and appreciation from the audience. I believe in one thing agar hum poori imaandari ke sath koi kaam kartey hain toh uska result zaroor milta hai.
Does it mean that you have to work harder?
Yes. I would not call it challenging but it came as a huge responsibility on me at that time. I knew that I was replacing a big character. It was important that I was able to do justice to the character. It wasn’t easy. I had to work on my language and accent. I come from Madhya Pradesh, so Bhojpuri was alien to me. Initially, I faced a lot of difficulties to get into the skin of the character and get everything right. Eventually, it all worked out well for me.
What is that one thing that you like and dislike about your character?
I like the innocence of the character. It is a beautiful character to play. I get to experiment a lot with the character. The thing that I dislike about my character is wearing a heavy wig and heavy sarees. I get a lot of headache after wearing it for a long time.
Did you want to be an actor?
Yes. Being an actor was my childhood dream. Jab se mujhe hosh hai, tab se mujhe actor hi banna tha. I became an actor a long time ago — a bathroom actor. Then gradually, with everyone’s blessing and because maine itni shiddat se yeh maanga ki I got into this field. It was a long journey, full of ups and downs but I made it here somehow.
What kind of roles would you like to experiment with?
There are so many. I love earthy characters and would also love to be a part of art films. After Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain, I would love to play those characters which no one will ever imagine me playing. I am looking forward to some bold stuff too.
Where did you get your inspiration from?
There are so many actors that inspire me in a way or other. Whenever I see someone doing a brilliant job and I get inspired by them and I think that why can’t I do my work in such a way that inspires others. There is so much of talent around us that I believe in getting inspired from everything and everyone around me.
Apart from acting what else keeps you busy?
I love travelling. And very soon I will come up with my own travel show for the audience.
What does fame mean to you?
Fame is momentary. It is for a short duration. If you are hit then people remember you aur phir kuch time baad bhool bhi jatey hain. One should not take fame too seriously. I believe in doing good work, imaadari ke sath. This is what matters at the end.
How was the experience being a part of Kitchen Champion?
It was an amazing and fun-filled experience. The whole team is brilliant. This is the first time that I have worked with my husband (Piyush Poorey) in any show, so I enjoyed it a lot. I got to cook, dance and do mimicry too. It was a wonderful experience. I got to spend some time out from my usual routine. I would like to thank Arjun Bijlani (host of the show) and the makers for having me there. I hope that this association will be there in future too.
