| Daljit Kaur Makes A Splash ! [19 Jan 2007] |
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"I DO HAVE A MAN IN MY LIFE AND I'M COMMITTED" SHE'S THE NEW FACE OF SONY. Hardly anyone knows her but they all want to. The pretty doe-eyed Punjabi girl is already making waves with her new soap Kulvaddhu. Showtime got her to speak about her serial, her co-stars and her entire experience till now (whatever little) and a lot more. ST: Did you always nurture acting ambitions? DK: I am a Pune girl and have an army background with my father and two sisters in the Army. I am a commerce graduate and have won several pageants like Miss Pune 2004, runner up Navy Queen, and runner up Maharashtra Queen. I'm the youngest at home, the only one in the media, and hopelessly pampered by my family. Miss Pune happened out of sheer fun. I was a very tomboyish kind of girl who would run around and play basketball. One day, a couple of us friends decided to go for the contest just for a lark. When I won, I got the shock of my life! The huge crown on my head gave me a great feeling and I realised that I'm not that bad! Then someone suggested I go to Mumbai for Miss Navy Queen. Right from my childhood, I never thought that I would get into this field. But once I started winning, not even once did it happen that I walked out of a contest without a crown. I began with Mansha (her first show) and then did a lot of episodics of CID, Aahat, and Raat Hone Ko Hai, thrillers basically. I learnt acting professionally in front of the camera. ST: You are almost a newcomer, so it's quite an achievement to get a lead role in Kulvaddhu. DK: For Kulvaddhu, Sandeep Sikcandji had already auditioned hundreds of girls before me, but he was unable to find the right face. One day, when he was discussing Niyati at the Sony office, CID was on air and he happened to see one of my episodes and liked me. I auditioned next, and got the role. So far the going is great! Sony is very supportive, I'm working hard and things are moving smoothly.
ST: And what about the man (Anuj Saxena) behind Kulvaddhu? DK: I've admired him ever since his starting days. I think he is very handsome. He always guides me and whenever there is a difficult shot, he makes sure that he actually comes to the location and gives me a briefing personally, which I think is a very big thing. And it's not just Anujji; everyone here treats me like a newcomer; a raw actor. They don't expect me to know everything, just because I'm the lead actor. I'm given the liberty to make mistakes and improve on them. It's so encouraging for a person who is still in the learning process. ST: Sounds like the perfect environment? DK: Oh it is! Not even one person sits alone. Nobody gives me the feeling that they are more experienced and I'm a newcomer. We share the same room; we have the silliest jokes going around, and everyone still laughs. ST: What about leading man Imran Khan? DK: Imran is great fun. He bosses around a lot; he loves to nag me, but he's a sweetheart.
ST: When the comfort level in a team is so high, you'd expect the outcome to be really good too. Does that make you expect more from the show? DK: The kind of response I'm already getting is unbelievable. I've seen a lot of serials getting launched, but the hard work these people are putting in is amazing. So much money is being spent and everything is up to the mark, so obviously the expectation levels are high. And I'm quite sure Kulvaddhu will live up to it. I want Niyati to be a huge hit. ST: It's a fact that when you are happy working in a particular company, you'd think ten times before leaving it. Who knows, the other places that look nice might actually be worse! Do you agree with that thought or would you prefer to try out all the possible options? DK: Well, all the production houses are doing well for themselves. I can't take any name saying that it is the best. But for me, when Kulvaddhu gets over and other offers start coming in,I hope something comes up from Anujji only. Because the kind of pampering and affection that I'm getting here, I don't think I'll get it anywhere else. I'm really hoping to be a part of Maverick and Sony for as long as possible. ST: But isn't there a risk involved in working with a production house that is as new as she herself is? Wouldn't it be a safer bet to work with someone more experienced in the industry? DK: Knowing Sony and Anujji, I had no doubts about the publicity or any other thing. It is huger than any other regular serial. I think it's a dream come true for any newcomer. The hoardings are on every corner; the buses are running with my pictures on them, Sony is playing the trailers every now and then. Even people are curious to know about the show. So, I think, even if it was a risk, its turned out well for me. I'm glad about that. ST: All this may be giving her a high but the fact is, DK: Firstly, I'm not a part of a typical saas-bahu drama. Though I'm a kulvaddhu, the character is very youth oriented. She's a young girl; there are no huge bindis and shimmering nails. I'm doing a character that's different and I feel good about it. Secondly, it's a family drama but it's different from the usual ones (how many times have we heard that one?). I know most women at home crib about these TV soaps, but they are the ones who switch on their TV sets at 8.30 pm. People love to watch such stuff, and we are coming with a difference, which is an advantage for them. But if it's a daily soap, you have to run on a typical formula. If you try and experiment too much, people are going to switch off the channel. ST: So would she like to follow the footsteps of Tulsi and Parvati? DK: I think it's very difficult to play a Parvati or a Tulsi. In fact, for all the actors who work on TV, the level of professionalism is really high. The hard work is immense. And as an actor, it would give me immense satisfaction to play such a difficult character. Smriti Irani is a fabulous actor. A person like me who looks up to her, if I get to say even half of her dialogues, or if I can portray even half of it, I'll be really glad.
ST: And what if her wish is granted, and in a year or two, her character Niyati grows up to become a mother? Would she like to play mommy dearest? DK: I don't know. If I'm required to play the role of a mom, maybe I will. But I've never thought about it. It's really depressing. ST: Talking about the future makes me ask her about her future plans. DK: Right now, Niyati is my future. The way Kulvaddhu is progressing; I believe it's going to go a long way. I want every house to have a Niyati. Right now I just can't think beyond Kulvaddhu. ST: Kulvaddhu is indeed a dream start, but what if she is offered something even bigger along the way, like movies? DK: No, I don't dream of doing movies because I don't think TV is any less today. The kind of publicity that we get from TV is unbelievable. The stories are beautiful, and the sets are gorgeous and really expensive. The treatment is equal to what film people must be getting. I'm concentrating on Niyati and once it becomes a hit, which I'm sure it will, I don't mind taking up a good film offer. ST: And what about her love life? Is she giving any signals to anyone there? DK: Yes, I do have a man in my life and I'm committed. I don't mind talking about it, but it's too early now. The right time hasn't come. That kind of makes it clear that Daljit is committed to talking about her work and nothing else. So |
