I Did Not Think That It Was Necessary For Me To Call Smriti And Ask For Her Permission
polite as a woman ought to be, exuding class and confidence and a sort of personal inner strength unique to her, gautami kapoor greeted me with a casual yet getting-down-to-work manner. this is first time i noted that the camera truly adds an overall roundish aspect to a person's figure, which gives the impression of being healthier than in reality.
In her newly adopted tulsi avatar, gautami is anything but motherly or saas-like. Like many others, i had forgotten that she is in the comfortable thirties yet flawlessly fresh and beaming. There is a kind of spring-in-her step, which makes her seem hurried but she actually behaves it too, with her brisk fast paced way of talking. The favourite beti, bahu, ma or baa, you name it, she is your indian woman incarnated. Presenting to you, the very face-changed and new tulsi virani…
ST: How did you get this dream role of Tulsi in Balaji's flagship show?
GK: This is one of the biggest breaks that I have got in my career and it came to me out of the blue. It was so quick, that it didn't leave much time for me to retrospect or dwell on what I was supposed to do. Plus, I have had fantastic working relations with Balaji and so I didn't want to say no to Ekta Kapoor. My past experience with them has been really good and I took it on from there.
ST: Did she expect the media uproar that rapidly followed?
GK: When it was splashed all over the media, I was terrified. I did not expect it to be bombarded into my face like that. I was very nervous when I was to come on screen since it was a huge pressure point for me, and the media hullabaloo really got me down. That's when I called up and told Ram (Kapoor, her husband); he was in Turkey then.
I told him I was coming on air and the media was in a frenzy. He told me not to worry and go and have a blast. He was right that the comparisons were always going to be there. He said, 'You love your job, you have always been true to it; don't let the comparing get you down in any way. Don't think about the aftermath. That is exactly what I have been doing. I have been coming here, having a blast and my co-actors have made me feel at home since day one.
ST: When did this soup initially begin brewing? Was she in search of a role or was Ekta more in search of an ideal bahu?
GK: I think Ekta had something else in mind, which she had not discussed with me when she had called me on board. Maybe after I met her and we spoke, she conceived things differently. She knew that I wanted to get back to work. After that meeting, I didn't get a call from them for another month. I too forgot about it.
Then suddenly I was called and told that there was something happening on Kyunki… and if I was interested. That time, I told them I had been approached for something from Balaji itself and I wanted to do only one thing. They told me that Ekta was keen on me coming for the Kyunki… meeting, so I went for it. I didn't know what the track was or what my role was. I was told a night before; it was actually that quick.
ST: Was it a clear decision on her end or did she fear taking up a responsibility as big as replacing Tulsi Virani of almost eight years?
GK: There was no decision made as such. I didn't really think that it was going to be like this. When I was told that there was a role in Kyunki…, I said, 'Ya ya, fine fine', without putting much thought into it
ST: Was she not informed that the role in question was that of Tulsi Virani?
GK: No, I was not told about that. I understand their point of view here because the media is so in-your-face right now that it is too easy to spill out if something is leaked to somebody. They may tell me of the track, I may share it with Ram or my mother or a friend. Then the tracks get leaked out and it is very unfair. I think they wanted to keep things under wraps till the very end.
ST: It is commendable that Gautami took such a huge career development relatively effortlessly in her stride.
GK: I was more than excited as I was getting back to work after two years. A workaholic like me who had begun working from an early age, I was waiting to get back. It being with Balaji, made it all the more special and then being told that it was as Tulsi, I said yes without having to think twice. This was really big and I didn't want to let go of that opportunity. I don't think I could have asked for something better.
ST: In all the elated celebrating, did she ever lock horns with Smriti Irani? Post the casting, have they crossed paths or had a curt word with each other?
GK: No, not at all. But I don't think there is any bad air between us. I haven't spoken to Smriti about it till date but I think the media has blown this out of proportion. She's a fantastic actress and things like I should talk to Smriti or that she should talk to me, are meaningless. I have met Smriti when she was working on a show called Kavita on Star, many years ago. It was like meeting any co-actor and it was very cool and comfortable. I am sure that if I were to meet her now too, it would be the same. From my side as well as hers, if I were to speak on her behalf. I don't think there is going to be any bad vibe.
ST: Has she attempted any contact with Smriti?
GK: I haven't made any contact at all because I don't see any reason for it. It is not like I have snatched somebody's role; it came to me. It was the decision of the production house and I only followed it. I didn't think that it was necessary for me to call Smriti and ask for her permission
ST: Television seems to have drawn Gautami back after so many years too. Was it plain work?
GK: It was absolutely plain work for me and I was open to doing any form of work that came my way. This was the first good thing that came along and so I jumped at it at the very first go. Before this, there were two to three other things that were offered to me on television. I was open to doing films also as there is a lot of interesting crossover cinema happening right now.
Yet, every time I would go for a meeting and decide to take it on, Ram would tell me to wait. He was of the belief that I should do something of great interest to me; something that was worth it. I leave my daughter at home every day and she is only just turning one-and-a-half years old. So she is very young and Ram kept saying that it had to be done for something that was absolutely worth all the sacrificing I was going to make on the home front.
He dissuaded me from doing something where I was yet again, somebody's sister or bhabhi, as I have done all that. I used to get angry with him at times saying, 'No, this is a great role' and he would still tell me to wait. The waiting has paid off, as I don't think I would have got anything quite as challenging as this.
ST: If Ram Kapoor, her husband, being Ekta's Hrithik Roshan, had any prior knowledge of this being on the anvil for her. (Gautami jokingly completes my sentence midway enquiring if I mean to ask whether Ram recommended her.)
GK: I think that this question should definitely be addressed to Ram or Ekta because we have laughed this off. I think that I have my body of work to support my credibility. Besides, Ekta is one woman who makes her own decisions, at her own pace.
She is not influenced by anyone, not even some of the closest creative heads of Balaji, forget about Ram. Also, Ram is not the kind of person who would put in a word for me for no rhyme or reason. He knows what I am capable of and he is happy about that. What has been written in my luck and my career graph is going to happen for me. Nobody can take that from me.
ST: Wife to the incredible Ram Kapoor, to ask her the clich about how they met or how it happened is obviously pass. She has managed to pin down his wanderlust mind, keep him settled into a happily married life and now become a father too.
GK: I love it. It sounds great. I'll tell you that yes, Ram was a big Casanova and that he has done everything in his life. But I must tell you, he has turned over a new leaf and is a different human being today. It is unreal and even I can't believe it at times that it is the same Ram I was friends with and whom I dated. It is really funny because he is the one so conscious about the fact that he is a father and a husband.
I used to fear that he will have a roving eye; that he has had so many women; how is he going to be after he is married? Women come up to me and say, 'He is such a loving husband; he is so into you; how have you managed this?' I haven't done a thing. He has changed drastically as a person. It wasn't difficult pinning him down. I think it required a little…tact.
ST: It is not a very well known fact that Gautami has left behind an unsuccessful first marriage and come a long way.
GK: (She readily acknowledges her past ) I was very young then and those things are of the past. I'd rather leave the past there and not bring it out in the present as it's not only mine but also somebody else's privacy involved. That person right now may be involved with someone else or married so I do not want to indulge in that. I am happy that things have worked out for me and hope it has for the other person as well. You make mistakes when you are young and brash. I've learnt from them and grown up. I have no regrets at all.
ST: How difficult is it to have a married life and a child and be Tulsi Baa for the nation? Why choose such an unglamorous comeback role?
GK: Yes, this is a comeback. I am not such a planner and I don't believe in planning for the future. I don't know where this is going to take me. Television is completely an audience-based medium. It is up to them to accept whatever they want and their choice as to what they want to see. If they want to accept something, they will, even if you are two years old.
If they don't wish to accept somebody, they won't, even though you are doing your best. Everyone in my age bracket is playing ma, saas, dadi, badi ma, so why should I lag behind? If a great role comes my way, where I have to play 80 years old, with a few wrinkles then I would love to do it as it is a challenge.What is the fun of coming on television the way you look normally?
When I go out, people come to me and exclaim, 'Oh my God! You play Tulsi and you are so young!' That is the reaction I am getting and I love it. If people see me in my normal jeans and T-shirts, they don't even recognise me.
Honestly, Balaji has given me a great deal; they have been kind on that front. I work limited hours and so I get to spend two-three hours with my daughter in the morning, which is her important time. She wakes up and I do her breakfast and everything on my own. Then she is dropped off. And then in the evening, from about seven to ten, I am with her.
So it's good; I work for about seven hours a day so it is not like she is missing out much on me. Yes, television is really demanding and Ram works long hours so we don't get much time together as a family. He gets one day off, Saturday, which is our family day where we get to spend time with each other and our daughter. It's tough but it is manageable.
I am trying to build each day with each episode. I am focussing on my strengths and working on my weaknesses. It will take me a while but I am here for a bit. So give me a chance, I would say. It gives me immense satisfaction when I return home after work knowing that I have a loving husband to fall back on, a beautiful daughter, a great role that has come my way and I am doing the best I can. I don't think that there is anything more for me to ask for, or else I would be a really greedy person.
This modern-day Tulsi has indeed come a long way.
* By Fatema Rajkotwala
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