"I write a lot... to friends and also to God!" - Shraddha Arya

The beautiful Shraddha Arya who plays the role of Paakhi in Tumhari Paakhi is all excited about the show as she is getting good response from all. Ask her whether she has read the original novel Naba Bidan written by Sarat Chandra and she says with a shy smile, "No, I have not read the novel as yet but have heard about it from my producer Shashi Mittal. I trusted her on the briefing that she gave me and it was very comprehensive in itself so I never felt the need to go beyond it to understand since it was enough for me to understand the character and the story. However, now I will read the novel."

Shraddha comes from a background similar to Paakhi's in the show. Remembering her growing up days she says, "I have grown up in Delhi and come from a closely knit family with everyone staying together. My parents have instilled the same values in me as can be seen in Paakhi who is loved by all. We were told to always talk about others with respect and also address them with respect."

One more aspect that she shares with Paakhi's character is that of her love for letter writing. Shraddha elaborates, "I write a lot... and it was actually very surprising when I came to know that Paakhi's character likes to write letters too. Whenever I don't find anyone to talk to and even if there are people around me and I feel they will not be able to understand me then I write a lot and it's not funny how much I write. And identical to the situation here she doesn't know where to send the letters even I don't know where to send my letters. I wouldn't call them letters but writings and long with writing to friends I have written to God too! All my best friends are scattered around the world - one is in Tokyo, another in Canada so we make sure that we write personal notes to each other once in a while instead of mailing it to each other."

Shraddha with her charming beauty has made a place for herself in the entertainment industry but it is heartwarming to see that she has not lost touch with her true self and still stays grounded.

Seema Khot Mattoo