Karishma Sawant on how her character changed after the leap in Rajan Shahi's 'Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai'

Karishma Sawant is seen as Arohi in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai (YRKKH). The TV show is produced by Rajan Shahi’s Directors Kut Production (DKP). Recently, the show went through a leap and that brought about a lot of changes and drama to the narrative. The actor talks about her experience.

“Before and after leap Arohi is a different person altogether. Earlier, she used to be hyper and get her things done the way she wanted by being stubborn and throwing things and shouting. Now she has a competitively calmer way of putting her things out to others and conveying whatever she wants to. So that has been the difference,” she says.

Fans of the actor have been showing much love for her performance. On asking her to share any fan incidents, she shares, “So I had gone for my director’s birthday party at a restaurant and there came a few ladies who are a fan of the show and one of the ladies she hugged me and said, ‘my daughter really loves you and even I love you because you’re stubborn like my daughter’ (laughs). Then she laughed and gave me a high five. I think that's one of the biggest compliments for me because she saw her daughter’s stubbornness in some of my scenes maybe. I gave her that connection and I think to be able to connect like that with your fans is something very sweet and that was one of the moments for me. Growth is my motto and I just want to be better  than I was yesterday, and better tomorrow than I am today..”

The growth in Arohi’s character is another thing that Karishma enjoys. When we asked her if she faces any challenges? She said, “Challenges are every day and every second with you. The same happens in reel life. Earlier, at every debate, Arohi used to just put her point and say I'm right and I know what I'm saying. But after the leap, I confronted Kairav (played by Abeer Singh) by taking a stand for Abhimanyu (played by Harshad Chopda) in a much calmer way by making him understand what he is saying and I know where he comes from. But please look from my point of view as well. I just did not say my points and walked off. I had a conversation with Kairav, which Arohi never did before. That was a little different and changed about her,” she adds.

Praising team DKP, she says, “It’s wonderful working with the best. The team always got your back. It’s a family” Describing her relationship with Akshara (played by Pranali Rathod), the actor begins by saying that it is special. “We are constantly in touch with each other. Even when we are not doing scenes together, we share jokes and memes on Instagram. We greet each other without fail. Whenever we have scenes together we always make sure that there’s complete silence when we are working. So we are always there to support each other, lift each other up, be it at work or off-screen. Thu Thu Thu,” she keeps her fingers crossed about this bond.

At the moment, Karishma has more scenes with Hera Mishra, who plays the role of Ruhi in the fiction. “We play with dolls, sometimes when I don't have time for that, I video call her because I do not like to send her back to her room saying I don't have time. She is someone who reminds me of my childhood, the innocence, and the kids are right now the heart of the set. They make everyone’s heart melt. I love both the kids. They're super adorable. I gel well with children,” she shares.

When asked if there is anything she wishes people knew about her in reel and real life, she adds, “I do not open up with everyone but when I do, I'm completely myself and I don't have any regrets about it. I think both sides of me are important and if somebody knows only a little about me that’s fine, if they know a lot about me that is also fine. I do not wish for anything. For some people I'm a mystery in a good way but for some I'm an open book,” she ends.