MUSBA HASHMI catches up with Splitsvilla 11 contestant SHAGUN PANDEY who shares some insights about his new show Tujhse Hai Raabta and his experience working in Santoshi Maa and Bado Bahu
What is your role in Tujhse Hai Raabta”
I play Atharv; it is neither a negative nor a positive character. He is a person with different shades who brings a lot of twists and turns in the show. He loves Poorva played by Anupriya Deshmukh and calls her Mai.
What made you say yes?
There were two reasons. First, in my previous show, I played a simple and funny character in the backdrop of a village but this role breaks the monotony. Second, playing Atharv gives me the freedom to experiment with my looks, accent, new hairstyle and gives me exposure that I need.
Is there something that you like and dislike about your character?
The one thing that I like about Atharv is that he plays pranks on people and makes everyone laugh. If someone gets angry with him, he handles the situation well. What I don’t like about him is his unprofessional attitude towards work; he is mean and not trustworthy. If things don’t go his way, he doesn’t mind breaking a promise. I don’t like this quality of his.
How was your experience working with the co-stars?
I have bonded well with Reema who plays Kalyani Deshmukh. Whenever there is a shot where I my back is to the camera, I always tease her and make her laugh and then she gets scolded by our director. I eat all her lunch every day and have even misplaced the lunch boxes a couple of times aur isliye woh mujhsey khafa hain.
How did acting happened?
I was in Chandigarh and used to give auditions everywhere. I weighed a 110 kg back then. I came to Mumbai and was cheated by some people for Rs 2.5 lakh. I was depressed and decided to return to Chandigarh. I did theatre for five years, started losing weight and gave auditions side by side. In 2016, I got a call from Rashmi Sharma who asked me to come to Mumbai to audition for a parallel lead role. I was not sure if I will be able to bag it. But after a month, I was locked to play Guddu in Santoshi Maa. Then I got my second show opposite Prince Narula in Bado Bahu. It was my struggling phase. I remember I lost 3 kg in a week by travelling daily from Kharghar to Goregaon, in the local trains.
What about Splitsvilla 11?
It was an incredible and crazy experience. There was a lot of pressure but I am the kind of person who takes all the decisions and makes things clear from the start. One thing that went wrong was that I kept supporting my friends who were simply playing their game and when I needed their support, they were never there to support me.
Sometimes I looked bad in the show but it worked because the end result was good. The audience understood that I stand for my people.
Who has been your inspiration?
My inspiration is Ranvir Singh. He is a dynamic person and has a lot of positive energy. Be it experimenting with clothes or playing strong characters like Alauddin Khilji, he tried to do different role and broke the monotony. He cracks it every time and does everything with the same energy. I wish to work with him sometime.
Is there a character you would have loved to play?
It would have to be Gautam Rode’s character in Karn and Saraswatichandra. Though the shows were not superhit, he was the driving force in the show in a women-oriented industry.
What does success means to you?
That I have a decent amount of money, recognition for my work, stay grounded and get a lot of time to spend with my family.
What your fitness regime like?
I am very fortunate to have a brother like Prince Narula. He makes sure I go to the gym every day. I have trainers — Guddu Rangrez and Imtiaz Nazir who train me the best.
One change that you would like to see in the industry?
I want that the scripts should be written in a way that all the characters should get enough exposure.
Only the leads can’t pull off the story. There are other actors as well who equally contribute to the story but they don’t get enough exposure and importance. The whole cast of a show is talented but they don’t get proper treatment from the production houses. I have been fortunate enough to get this but I feel it isn’t the case with everyone.