Roshni Chopra

Have you quit Kasamh Se?

(Fumbling) I… actually … I’m just on a break for a few days and have not quit the show.

Are you missing work and your co-stars?

I still keep contact with my co-stars and the production house. If you have been with something from the beginning, you can never stop being a part of it. But I’m also enjoying the newness and the freshness in my life.

So why are you taking a break from Kasamh Se? Were you bored?

Obviously, if you are doing the same thing for two years, a certain amount of fatigue creeps in. I believe in waking up and giving the day my best shot. If you are not doing that, then you are cheating yourself and the people you work for. I needed to take a break to relax, rejuvenate and come back with a bang.

Was there a fallout with Balaji?

No, no. I love Balaji, Ektaa (Kapoor), Shobha Aunty (Kapoor) and everybody in Balaji; and I think they love me back. We share an excellent relationship. They have given me so much. Even though my character was negative, it had a lot of support from the creative side which is why she (Pia) was presented in a subtle manner. I have no issues at all.

Do the dipping TRPs of Kasamh Se bother you?

It started off as the story of three sisters and I do really believe that at that point it was doing well. My character Pia’s triangle with Jai and Bani was good — it had never been done on television before. But of late, my co-actors tell me that the story has been changed quite a bit. All I can say is that in the beginning, Kasamh Se was a beautiful story but you can’t keep a really good story going for two years. A really good story can have a really good end (laughs).

So every story arc needs to have a definitive conclusion?

It will start happening now with the introduction of more television channels. I think we will fall into the format that the West has adopted: a seasonal format. Even if the show goes on for 10 years, the show is on air only for a certain season during the year. So, the actors and writers take a break and come up with something more entertaining.

Was there ever a problem because Pia had turned negative?

In the beginning, I did not know that Pia would become a negative character. I was very sceptical and had many meetings with the production house. Ektaa and Nivedita (Basu, of Balaji) convinced me to do it well and forget about everything else. I’m an actor so I just did my job.

So what made you take up the reality singing show, Jjhoom India?

Every once in a while, it is good to do something which you are scared of. It puts your feet firmly on the ground and you evolve as a person. I have always been musically inclined as a child but never had professional training.

Does it become difficult to match up to your professional singer partner on the show?

The competition is not between the singers … it is between us. The singers are very busy with their own lives; they don’t really come for rehearsals. I go for rehearsals every day as I do not believe in doing anything badly, you should do your best.

How supportive is your husband of your profession?

There was a point when I was doing Kasamh Se and Kkavyanjali and I was working for around 24 hours a day! I used to come home for three hours sleep and then go back to work. Even through that time, my husband (Siddharth Anand Kumar) was most supportive. He is perfect. He gives me as much space and as much love as I want. He is also from the same industry. He is a director and he is doing several TV shows and some film projects are there in the pipeline.

What about the future? Will it not be difficult for you to find a role as good as that of Pia?

An actor’s life is full of insecurities. It’s always: ‘Oh my God will I be able to do better than this?’, ‘Oh God will I be paid more money?’. It is disgusting so I choose to ignore that side completely. I have no prefixes or suffixes. I consider taking part in Jjhoom a way ahead. I would like to do something new; may be in films or television. I’m not going to compare with anything because Pia is incomparable.