I was Shocked - Rati Pandey

I WAS SHOCKED

RATI PANDEY ON HER SUDDEN DEATH IN MILEY JAB HUM TUM

The most popular show on Star One, Miley Jab Hum Tum, is back. Being a fresh season, there are a lot of new elements to the show. Fresh faces have been introduced. A new storyline has been brought in. Yet, there's something amiss about it. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out what's missing in the show.

Yes, Rati Pandey aka Nupur Bhushan – the soul of the group at Morena, the charm of the show. Her sudden death in the show came as a shock to her innumerable fans across the country. Well, turns out they weren't the only ones who were shocked. Rati herself was surprised to hear that her character was being killed.

"Before shooting for the shraadh sequence, I went up to my creative to ask about the scene to be shot. That's when he told me that I was dying in the next sequence. Imagine my condition. I was quite shocked," she exclaims. After mulling for sometime, she goes on to explain, "There had been some buzz on the sets about the show taking a few years' leap. Around the same time, we had also heard that one of the four main characters might die. Each one of us was as confused as the other about the entire situation. But a few days later, our creative heads clarified that none of the lead characters in the show was dying. So we didn't think much about it."

What happened after that was for everybody to see. The most popular character Nupur was shown dead in the last episode of the season. But that was merely the story on-screen. About what went on behind the scenes, Rati reveals, "I found it a little strange how they abruptly ended my character and showed her dead. What was even stranger was that they didn't tell me beforehand that my character was going to die. Usually, they give you a prior notice about such things. Instead here they were informing me only on my last day that it was actually my last day of shoot."

The sadness of not being given the due respect is evident on her lovely face. And the outspoken girl that she is, she does not even mince her words as she openly confesses, "It was very disheartening that they didn't tell me well in advance about it. They ideally should have. Maybe they thought that if they told me, I'd create date issues and avoid shooting the last bit." A long pause of consideration follows and then she justifies, "I'm a thorough professional. I'd have happily done my bit and gone off without taking any offence, had they informed me about my character's death earlier."

But before the emotional side can fully take over her, the practical side of the actress emerges. "See, from the creative point of view, I totally understand why they had to kill Nupur. If my character didn't die, the next season couldn't have taken off," she reasons. "And frankly speaking, if Samrat died, it wouldn't make so much of a difference. If Gunjan died, the audience wouldn't react so much. You couldn't really make a story out of it. So it had to be Nupur," she explains matter-of-factly. Continuing in the same vein, the Virgo girl adds, "Check the TRPs of the show. The episode in which Nupur died had the highest TRP. The show was ranked third in the ratings before her death. But when the death episode was aired, it rose to the number one ranking."

She then adds, "Anyway, at the back of my mind, I had decided to not renew my show contract. I had been mulling over it for two-three months and had concluded that I would step out of the show. Towards the end, I felt that my character was quite exaggerated and there was nothing left for me to do. So I had made up my mind to leave the show, no matter what," she says determinedly. "In a way, it all happened at the same time. If you ask me, I'm totally content with the way things have happened. I have done my job and I don't hold any grudges against anyone," she states, displaying maturity that belies her 27 years of age.

It's easy to understand the special bond she shares with the show. After all, it was this very show that made her rise to the pinnacle of fame – something that she had not even imagined while accepting the show. "From the very first day, the producer was adamant that I do Miley Jab... He really liked my performance in Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai and even though my role in Har Ghar… was diametrically opposite to that of Nupur, he knew he had found his Nupur in me. On the other hand, I was skeptical about doing the show because it was a four-lead show and I was already doing Har Ghar… which was a two-lead show. I didn't want to be slotted as someone who only works in multi-star serials. It was only when the producer assured me of giving me enough screen space that I agreed to do the role," she fondly recollects.

And while we are on the subject of the show, it is impossible to not ask her about her sentiments on the character that she had almost become – the chirpy Nupur. "I can relate to Nupur," she accepts. "In real life, I'm quite bubbly just like Nupur. I too am a prankster. I'm also very loyal; I always stick to my friends and will never leave their side – something that is true of Nupur as well. And I'm as confident in real life as Nupur. So yeah, in a way, Nupur was a lot like me or vice versa. Whichever you see it; truth is that Nupur had become an integral part of me. I'll definitely miss her," she passionately states.

Well, she's not the only one missing Nupur. Millions of TV viewers are complaining about her absence – while some of her fans have boycotted the show, others have even started online petitions to bring her back to the show. "My fans online have reacted strongly against my exit. I can't believe I have more fans than Shah Rukh Khan in the cyberspace. I get 60-70 mails everyday from fans asking me to return to the show. I'm honestly touched by the way they've reacted. I can understand their feelings because my character Nupur was so adorable. It was very easy for the audience to love Nupur," she says with her trademark sunshine smile.

And has she watched the new season of the show? "I only followed two-three episodes at the start. And all I can say is that I was fond of the first season," she laughs. Very diplomatic answer, we say. But egg her on and she replies, "Miley Jab… now is no longer the Miley Jab... that I used to enjoy working in. It seems like a different show altogether. It's missing the charm, I think."

Now that the show is done with, this girl finally has time to breathe and is enjoying every moment of it. "When Miley Jab…was on, I used to work 29 days a month. So I definitely deserved a break, a really big break. I recently went on a short vacation with my old friends and had the time of my life," she gushes. "As far as work is concerned, I've been getting lots of offers and I'm going through them. But I'm being very careful of what I choose because whatever role I play next has to be even better than Nupur. After all, I have to live up to my fans' expectations," she emphatically states. We look forward to that.

Courtesy: Showtime