Tejaswi Welingka who played a kindergarten teacher in 26/12 on life Ok is back, this time on Colors as Dhara in Sanskaar Season 2. SHAlINI SAKSENA talks to her about her role and apprehensions about playing the lead. Excerpts
How did the role come to youIJ
I had just finished with 26/12 when I got an audition call. I was told that the role was of a new character. I didn’t want to replace a character. Then I had heard rumours that the character had a child. I didn’t want to mother. But these points were ironed out. Since the role required a fresh face, I said yes.
Does this mean you had apprehensions playing the role you were offeredIJ
Not apprehensions but I did have issues which I wanted clarified. Since I was joining the show mid-way, I was not sure how my character would be received. There was pressure of making the show better because usually a character is added to add to make the serial interesting. Here again, the channel and the production house ensured that I was introduced properly.
Tell us about Dhara, the role you play.
She is a naive, fun-loving girl who speaks her mind. It is only later that she dwells on what she has said and its repercussions. She is talkative, just like me. In fact, people have to shut me up on the sets. I love to do a lot of masti off-screen and it sometimes gets me into trouble. But I am serious is when I am shooting my scene.
How is your equation with the male lead Jay SoniIJ
We have a great relationship off-screen as well. We are professionals and even if we did not share the vibes off-screen it wouldn’t have affected our on-screen chemistry.
Do you think the concept of seasons will work on the tellyIJ
It is a brilliant concept. It helps a show keep up with freshness. One can tweak the story and introduce new characters. This keeps the viewers interested. Even 26/12 had 26/13. Even though the audience make comparisons, adding seasons to a show is a good idea.
So people will compare Bhoomi with Dhara...
Of course, and there is nothing one can do about that. But there is no comparison. I am not replacing Bhoomi. She is dead and I am a new face on the show. Bhoomi and Dhara are two different people, very different in nature so it is unfair to compare the two characters.
What challenges have you faced in playing DharaIJ
The Gujarati accent that too of a girl from a remote village. I am from Maharashtra and don’t understand half the words in the script. I need constant help to understand them. My co-stars help out so I am settling down.
Most TV actors want to graduate to Bollywood....
I would want to work in films but for me TV is not a stepping stone. It is equal to Bollywood. Both are important professionally. If I am offered a good role in a film I will say yes.
One reason why people should watch Sanskaar 2IJ
I can give you 10 reasons. But the four top ones are: One, watch it for Dhara. She is fun and makes people smile. Two, the show gives viewers a happy and peaceful feeling as Dhara makes the Vaishnav family smile even though they are sad because of Bhoomi’s death. Three, for the storyline itself. It has been moulded very differently and will be interesting. Four, there is a lot of emotions — love, sadness and happiness too. The soap is very family-oriented. Everybody can enjoy it with Dhara’s antics.