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WITH A DAILY SOAP, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO GIVE TIME TO FAMILY

She may play a grandmother on her show, but in real time, Smita Bansal is nothing like her current soap character – the coy and somewhat regressive Sumitra from Balika Vadhu. This petite actress is one of the most recognised faces on Indian television. Having a career spanning more than a decade, she has proved her acting histrionics in popular shows like Itihaas, Amanat, Sarhadein, Yeh Meri life Hain and CID and now is an important part of Balika Vadhu. In her debut interview with Showtime, Smita talks speak out on matters close to her heart – be it her flourishing television career, her family or Balika Vadhu.

Happily married to Ankush Mohla (of Glen-Ankush fame) and mother to her little daughter Stasha, Smita was on a long self-imposed break prior to Balika Vadhu, as she didn't want to miss out on watching her daughter grow up. But much before all this happened, Smita hadn't even thought of taking up acting as a career. Originally from Rajasthan, right since childhood Smita was keen on becoming a doctor but it was a casual vacation in Mumbai that made her change her plans.

She begins, "I belong to Jaipur and was studying there before I came to Mumbai. I didn't clear my medical entrance in the first year and so had to take a year off. That's when I decided to come to Mumbai for a holiday at my uncle's house. My uncle stayed in the building where Kishore Namit Kapoor had his acting academy. So I joined it as a personality development class! I thought it would be good fun. But while I was taking the class, I started getting acting offers. That's when I contemplated taking it up as a career."

She started off with Balaji Telefilm's Itihaas and later on went to do Amanat which became a huge success and then there was no looking back. But it wasn't as easy as it sounds. "I faced a lot of objection from my family. They were very unhappy with my decision to act. My father was very sure that I would become a doctor. I somehow convinced him that I would give acting a shot for one year and if it didn't work out, I would give my medical entrance. But I never studied all my life," she smiles. Luckily, all the shows clicked for her and were instant hits. "Initially my family did have a lot of problems but when they saw my work, they didn't make me quit it."

It wouldn't be wrong to say that Balika Vadhu is Smita's second innings and even she agrees, "My first innings was when I did Amanat. That show gave me a lot of popularity. Of course, that time weeklies were a hit. But the kind of success Balika... has received has been completely different."

She talks about how she bagged the show, though she was on a sabbatical. "I took a break after my daughter was born. My husband was directing shows for Sphere Origins, the production house and they knew that I was on a break. They called me for the role and when they narrated the character of Sumitra, I really liked it. But I was very apprehensive too because I didn't want to play a mother. But since the show was about child marriage and it had the backdrop of Rajasthan, I got attracted to it. I told my husband if I didn't feel like working on the show later, I would just leave it, since my daughter has always been my first priority. But it turned out to be a huge success and now I am a part of it completely."

All that may be good, but I ask Smita how she relates to a character so rural and in some ways, a little backward. Does she really believe in what she portrays on screen? She thinks a little before answering. "Though I have spent 12 years in Mumbai, I am basically a small town person. The atmosphere of a small town is not unknown to me. And so are the traditions of Rajasthan. For me to relate to all this is not very difficult. I have seen women like Sumitra, who are quiet and subdued; who wear a ghoongat all the time, even in real life. This is not new to me and this is how women live, even in well-educated families. So I got into my character very easily. Perhaps the only challenge was the fact that it was a daily soap, with erratic shooting hours!"

And she doesn't have any reservations playing an older character, now that the show is taking a generation leap. "I am already playing a mother and also a nani, so I really cannot complain. I have accepted that. The point remains that I will not use a whitener and that I should look nice. Anyway, with my kind of face, I cannot use just a whitener to look old. Since I am very petite, it doesn't work. I always convince myself saying that on the show even I had a child marriage and so am actually young." She doesn't mind ageing on the show, as long as she is given a good look.

If you think Smita is like her character in real life too, you are in for a real surprise. She laughs out aloud, "People think I am seedhi saadhi in reality too. Whenever I go out in public, I see these weird expressions on the faces of aunties. They all keep telling me that I look very young. Unlike Sumitra, I am a very modern and educated girl. Ask my mother-in-law how I am at home!"

In spite of all this, she believes that the audiences have wholeheartedly accepted her as an actress. "People come to give me a lot of blessings, even if I am standing at a bar in a restaurant! Once I was having dinner with my husband and an aunty came to my table and gave me shagun. I didn't even know her. She told me that whenever I would come on TV, her day would go well. It was so embarrassing for me, as a complete stranger was giving me money. I couldn't hurt her feelings but it felt awkward taking money like that. Such things really touch me," she says happily.

We talk a little about the show. Lately, Balika Vadhu and a few other issue-based serials have come under the scanner for glorifying and promoting the wrong social causes. I ask Smita how she feels when certain sections of the media claim that though their show started on a good note, they are now promoting child marriage. She explains, "I don't think we are promoting child marriage. We are trying to show that children should get the chance to study.

But at the end of the day, Balika Vadhu is a soap and we have to show drama, or else people will not see the serial. Agar show mein masala nahi hoga, then who will be interested? We have to spice it up a bit because it's a daily and people have to watch it every day. If we show something serious and boring, it will become a documentary. But I still feel we are not promoting anything wrong. Taking up Balika Vadhu was one good decision I took." She further adds in jest, "As far as controversies are concerned, anything that is successful and popular, people will always try to run it down! But we don't care much about such things."

Smita would rather look at all the appreciation they have been receiving. Ask her how it feels to be part of such a recognised show and she gushes, "It is an amazing feeling! At the end of the day, every actor wants recognition. We just don't do it for the thrill of acting or money. Fame is a very important part of my profession. When your show is a success and when people like your character, it is very overwhelming. I am proud to be a part of Balika Vadhu. I have worked for years and have seen a lot of successful shows. But this is something very different. It became a hit overnight. And it's not a show which has a hero or heroine. All the characters are loved and accepted equally by the audiences." She believes that it isn't like any other regular show in terms of its content and presentation.

We move on to more personal matters and I ask her how she juggles work as well as her personal life, considering she is a mother too. Isn't it difficult to shoot a daily? She agrees, "With a daily soap, it is impossible to give time to my family. My daughter is seven years old now. I try and keep my Sundays off for her. Thankfully, I live in a joint family. My mother-in-law is a huge help. My daughter is mostly with her. Her school, tuitions and classes; everything is my mother-in-law's headache! I am most of the times relaxed as I know my daughter is in good hands. My saas says that she knows how taxing it must be to shoot all the time so she just asks me to relax."

She counts herself as lucky to have such an understanding family. "My in-laws are my biggest support system. If it wasn't for them, I would never be able to get back to acting. Even my husband is very supportive, but he is also working, so eventually it just boils down to my mother-in-law. She is an angel to me." Quite contrary to her on-screen mother-in-law, I exclaim!

At the moment, Smita has her plate full with Balika… and she can't even think of taking up more work. "I will wait for Balika... to get over. I give 20 days a month to it. So the rest of the 10 days, I want to give to my family and I won't compromise on that. I get everything from this show anyway. It has given me fame and I get to show my acting skills, however good or bad they are." And what next after Balika Vadhu? "After it, I will just take a break for like four months and think of what kind of work to do! Since I have been doing it for two years, it had become a little monotonous so I took up a play. It is a comedy play titled Get Rid Of Your Wife, and it gives me a break from Sumitra."

She is open to reality shows too, but has certain reservations. "If reality shows are talent-oriented then it is okay, but if they are based on personal life, then I'm not very keen. There are a lot of shows nowadays, which are about yourself and the kind of person you are. It is very personal and I would like to keep it that way. Because I am a mother and I don't want my daughter seeing things which may have been spiced up by the channel. I don't want to make a fool of myself."

One wonders why an actress with her experience hasn't been seen on the big screen. Smita clears those doubts. "I have consciously kept myself away from films. TV has always given me good characters. If I look back at my work, I am very proud to be associated with the shows I have done. But in films, I am very scared how they will use a character actor. I have not been getting good offers. And I don't want to do any blink-and-miss roles. I will not compromise. I haven't done it for the past 12 years. Of course, if someone calls me and tells me 'You are the heroine of the film' then it's a complete different story!" she laughs.

On that note we end the interview, but not before I ask her what her future plans are. She smiles, "This will sound very stupid, but I have never thought about my future. I decided to join an acting class, when I was just passing through that class. I met my husband Ankush for the first time, and within 10 days, we were engaged. I liked him and he liked me, so we told our respective mothers and just got married. I didn't even plan having my daughter and so I didn't know I was pregnant! Then one fine day, I just left my work and sat at home for four years. So, everything has been very instant because whenever I think about something, I complicate it further. So I just don't think. Many people ask me what after Balika Vadhu, but I don't know what to tell them. I never thought Balika... would ever happen. Even when I went on a break, I never thought I would return to acting. And today, I am working full-time."

*Courtesy: Showtime