Be it art or commercial films, TV or theatre, playing a caring mother in Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge or a villainous saas in Hasratein, Himani Shivpuri has been there and done that. The yester-year actress who captured the heartbeats as Devki bhojai in Humrahi, speaks with SANGEETA YADAV about her journey on TV and her experience working with two generations of Bollywood actors
What is your character in Big Magic’s Ajab Gajab Ghar Jamai (AGGJ) all aboutIJ
I play Jagadamba Shaktishaali, a nani-saas who has a love-hate relationship with her son-in-law — Chintu Chautala Shaktishali (played by Sumit Vats). It’s a comedy drama which questions the traditional belief that ‘betiya toh paraya dhan hoti hai’. Why is it that only women have to leave their home after marriageIJ Why don’t men leave their house after marriage and come and stay with the in-laws is what the serial is all about. So, in that sense, the story is about a matriarchal family.
From your debut in Humrahi in the 80s to Ajab Gajab Ghar Jamai, how have things changed
When I bagged my first show Humrahi I had just passed out from National School of Drama (NSD). I treated TV and films like theatre and used to put in a lot of effort and thought into how I would want to portray my character and how will it move forward. Over an hour would be spent on preparing just one shot before the final take. Today, we get no time to either think or experiment with the character we play. Even then, I try to give the best possible shot in the time slot that we have now.
Where does TV stand todayIJ
Watching television has become painful and daily soaps have only gone from bad to worse. Earlier, daily soap used to come once or twice a week and we used to shoot one episode in five days. But now, in one day, we have to shoot one full episode of 22 minutes. TV has become mechanical, there is no scope to put in your thought into the character one is playing. There is little content in serials these days. I don’t think any show can challenge the content which was there in Humrahi.
How did you cope up with the changesIJ
When I started working for Ekta Kapoor’s Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, the first few days were a nightmare. Bulky jewellery, heavy sarees and too much make-up was not my style. Being a passionate actor, we used to discuss lines that were written in the script. But then the director and assistant directors would tell us: ‘Jaisa likha hai waise he bol do. Khatam karo. Agla scene bhi shoot kerna hai.’ Their frustration was quite visible on their face. I wanted to run away from all this but realised that this kind of scenario was here to stay. I had no other option but to adapt myself to these changes.
How has been your experience working in art and commercial cinemaIJ
Coming from NSD, I used to look down upon commercial cinema. But then I realised that commercial films were important if one wanted to eke out a livelihood as an actor. Art is a completely different genre. I loved working with Shayam Benegal especially in movies like Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (1993) and Mammo (1994). Recently, I worked with him in the tele-series Samvidhan which was based on the making of the Indian Constitution. Shyam Benegal is an encyclopedia in himself. After so many years, he is still the same — warm, caring and a genius director.
You have worked with two generations of Bollywood actors. Can you share some momentsIJ
When I was working with Rishi Kapoor in Prem Granth (1996) and Aa Ab laut Chalen (1999), we used to have so much fun on the sets. In fact, I told him during that period that I had fallen in love with him after watching Bobby as had many other of my college friends. He told me never to say this to Ranbir. That time Ranbir was studying in the US and on his visits to India, he would run all over the place and Chintuji used to tell him: ‘What are you doing here. Go and learn something.’ And turning to me, he would say, ‘Himaniji, take him with you and show some play or opera.’
More than 15 years down the line, when I was working with Ranbir in Besharam, I never thought that he would remember all that. He told me that he hated watching the plays but did it to please his father.
You have also worked with Roshans. How was it working with themIJ
I worked with Rakeshji in Koyla (1997) starring Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit. Hrithik was one of the assistants in the film. He used to come to me and say: ‘Madam your shot is ready’. It never occurred to me that he was Rakeshji’s son. Three years later, I was shooting in Hyderabad for a film and saw the promos of Kaho Naa Pyar Hai. It was then that I came to know that the assistant was Rakeshji’s son.
Then in 2001, I got an opportunity to work with him in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Main Prem Ki Deewani Hu (2003) and Mujhse Dosti Karogi (2002). Karan Johar jokingly said that now that since I had already worked with two generations of Bollywood actors, a time will come when I will be playing the role of a grandmother to Hrithik, Karisma and Ranbir’s sons as well. It was quite funny.
How difficult has the journey been so farIJ
It was tough being a single parent; to juggle home and a career. There were days when my day would begin at 7 am and end at 3 am. I would get a couple of hours of sleep only to wake up to teach my son Maths. Those days were tough. But I got by. I don’t regret having had to work hard.
You never left working in TV even though you had become popular in films. WhyIJ
Somebody once asked me: ‘You are doing films with Yash Raj, Sudhash Ghai, Shayam Benegal. Why are you still doing TV serialsIJ’. I told him that even though I’m getting good films, TV was what made me popular and I’ll never stop working for it. It made me famous as Devki. And one sees big actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar making their way to TV. People have started looking up to television.
What are some of the roles that are close to your heartIJ
I have done a variety of roles like comedy, negative and drama. The good part is that I never got typecast. I’m happy that I get to do bold and character-driven roles like I got to do in TV serials like Humrahi and Hasratein, and films like Hum Aapke Hai Kaun, Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge, Hero No 1, Pardes, Prem Granth, Veer Gati etc.