Bhagyashree is all set to return to TV with a Hindi adaptation of an Emmy-nominated American show Missing. She shared details with Trisha Mukherjee about being media-shy and how she engaged herself with regional cinema all these years
life has come full circle for her. Bhagyashree, who became overnight sensation with Rajshree Productions’ Maine Pyar Kiya, initially began her career with Amol Palekar serial Kachhi Dhoop. Years later, she is all set to come back to idiot box with life Ok’s laut Aao Trisha, an adaptation of Emmy-nominated American show Missing. It is a tale of an agonised mother’s relentless search for her lost daughter. With fear and pathos hitting against hope and determination, the trailors already look engaging. “A mother who has lost her child is like a wounded tigress. She becomes defiant like never before,” says the actor, a mother in real life.
“I immediately identified with the character of Amrita but she is far more logical and composed than I am as a mother in real life,” she quips. Bhagyashree maintains a balanced rapport with her daughter. “In order to live up to the modern times, mothers often try to befriend their children, but there is a thin line between being friends and being friendly. A mother must be friendly enough to allow the child to share his feelings with her, but being friends would mean letting the hair down for everything,” she said.
The actor had faded into oblivion in early 90s after she failed to repeat the success of her debut film opposite Salman Khan. But she says she was never away and trying out different territories. “When I wasn’t shooting in the Hindi circuit, I did movies in Kannada, Telugu and Bangla,” she tells us.
However, she always remained media-shy and was seen socialising. She says media was not kind to her and always dragged her in frivolous controversies. “I have often been misinterpreted. Soon after I did Maine Pyar Kiya, I got married and had a child. While I was in the hospital post delivery, a media person visited me. Having congratulated me, the first question she asked if I was having an affair with my co-star. This was followed by several rumours and wrong information which were never clarified,” she laments.
Bhagyashree kept trying her luck in T giving shots to “meaningful roles”. “The characters should be able to connect with the audience. Essentially it should give me a chance to link myself with my fans. It could be a 10-minute role but it should be impactful,” she says.
The mother of a son and a daughter says she never discriminated among the children and is a staunch believer of gender equality. “Both Abhimanyu and Avantika have the same dos and don’ts. For instance neither of them is allowed sleepovers at their friends’ houses. But hearing the spate of incidents will make any mother extra concerned about the security of her daughter,” she says. Talking about her motherhood, she says, “We often become telephonic or substitute parents, and fail to be there for the children when they need us most.”