"IF SOMETHING GOOD HAS TO HAPPEN, THEN IT WILL HAPPEN ANYWAY"
Love her or hate her, she is the dark, hidden side of you; the woman who only at times flashes out. That contemptuous, sly, sadistic smile that emerges at your lips, the one you are too afraid to smile; that is her trademark expression when she is up to no good, which is more than often. She is the kind of woman that feeble men are warned of or they would surely be ruined. She is your soap opera 'vamp'.
Kaveri came to be her maiden name since the time Anchal Dwivedi joined Saat Phere two-and-a-half years ago. She tells me that she left her small town Itawah in UP and came to the 'New York' of India, Mumbai, for her graduation and soon embarked onto the well-treaded route of auditioning. She is like any other Indian girl you'll meet, with both shades of teekha aur meetha in her, entwined pleasantly. Having yet only known her malicious side, in a candid meet with Anchal, we introduce you to the real woman behind Kaveri.
"I knew I wasn't going to become a teacher after a major in English Literature, which is what my father thought I would do," she laughs. "I was interested in drama, acting, dance and when friends prompted, I began auditioning. I was very fat and weighed like 80 kilos back then, so they told me to lose weight. But I didn't struggle too much, as I didn't audition for long. It was done for the sake of it.
I landed two shows for Sahara and a show for Sab TV. Around then, I got a call from Saat Phere and I decided to try. I remember I was looking really messy that day as I had just removed my make-up after one shooting and gone and given the audition. But I guess they liked some negative aspect in me because they called me within two hours for Kaveri. I was a newcomer and settled for what was offered to me and my journey began, being the 'vamp' of the industry. From there I never looked back," she neatly sums up the beginning.
And what was her role in her earlier shows like? "Two of them were comedies; I love doing comedy. I shall have you know that I am very good at it too; I can make people laugh. Apart from their hating me," she jokes. "My job in that show was more like that of a bimbo standing, with her hair done up and wearing a short skirt; like a show piece to the show. It was my first time facing the camera, so I take credit for it. I got comfortable with the camera thereon.
Those shows made me a little free and learn how to fall in love with the camera while you work." Saat Phere brought about the initial burst of recognition that actors work towards. "As a newcomer, I couldn't really decide what to do, so I grabbed whatever came along. They had told me at the onset that Kaveri was to be a three months' job. I thank God as this makes me believe that I did a good job as after over two years, I am still doing the show."
Does she not fear being stereotyped, a dreaded tag most actors constantly try to peel off? She confidently says, "I have always held that as an actor, you can do any genre you please. It is the mentality of the television industry here that categorises people. I am currently doing Santaan, which is a positive role of Poornima. So I am getting various roles and hoping for people to think that I am not only Kaveri and that I can do a lot of things. Comedy Circus also came in as they must have seen some potential in me."
Anchal goes on to say, "Even with Kaveri, at one point of time, I too started getting very fed up. I decided to add an element to the character. I began delivering the dialogues with a pinch of humour, where negativity and comedy came in. I think that is the reason I got calls from Comedy Circus and I am all set to do the Season 2, which is going to be coming this March.
So I am really happy that people are looking out even though there are concepts like 'stereotyped.' I have also done certain episodes for Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai, Khichdi and I just did Chaldi Da Naam Gaddi, so I think I have ventured out. It just has to be a good role and a strong one. Ideally, I'd want the role of Madhuri Dixit in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. Will somebody give me that?" she chuckles.
"I am heading to wherever life takes me. I keep getting good work and people still love me and appreciate my talent, most importantly. We are known here because of our talent and how we carry ourselves on screen. When people come up to me, the best compliment that they give me is that, 'I love the character that you play in Saat Phere. Kaveri rocks! We only watch the show because of you.'
When you are not playing the main protagonist and yet someone says this, that is something. They like everything I do; the way I dress, my eye movements and dialogues. That's the only thing I am concerned with. Appreciation for your hard work is all you want at the end of the day," she puts it bluntly.
How does she deal with the bold, saucy image that precedes her? Anchal relates her predicament, "I am from the North where television is the only source of entertainment for most people. They assume you to be like the person you portray on television. When I went to the North, in spite of knowing me, they actually asked me, 'Why are you doing this? Why do you trouble Saloni like this?'
At first, I answered all their questions but later I said, 'See, this is my character and this is what Kaveri is supposed to do.' That was my final statement." Of course, the image is made up of the personality and the physical appearance. The loud flashy make-up, jewellery and attire make the character. Anchal elaborates, "Everybody is so goody-goody on the sets. Saloni has to be nice so she has to wear sober make-up.
The same goes for Ashlesha (Sawant) who plays Tara or Aditi or anybody. If Kaveri remains the same, how will she differentiate herself? People define me as the one with the elaborate eye shadow and the net saris. So you have to be a bit different from the nice ones."
Does she encounter a personality crisis due to playing a strong negative role over a period of time? "On one hand, I am playing Poornima, a mother to a girl in Santaan. Then there is Kaveri who is a bubbly negative woman, about to become pregnant and have a child. For me, the character lasts until I am on the sets; then it vanishes. You should ask my friends about the person I am.
They laugh at me! I am a very happy-go-lucky kind of a person, so there is no such problem," she giggles some more. And how's it being Poornima on her new show Santaan? She replies, "It has just been three days since my track has begun. I think they wanted to add some drama into the series, so they got me."
This being about her work interests, what do we know of Anchal's love life? Is she currently seeing someone special? "I am seeing so many of them. Anytime you see me, I'll be sitting with a different guy in a different restaurant," she eludes. "No, I am not seeing anyone. You'll see me with one actor who happens to be a friend of mine and you'll think, 'Oh, Anchal must be seeing him' or someone else but I am definitely single and looking out. If I find the right man, then why not? I am growing old," she confesses, embarrassed.
I ask her about her name being linked with hot man Kushal Punjabi a while ago. What was the deal there? She takes the inquiry in good spirit and relates, "I knew this was coming up. I met Kushal in Mauritius at an awards function. I had gone with Neenaji (Gupta) and she was like my sole guardian," she giggles.
"She was like a mother to me in Mauritius. Then she got a little busy with her friends. The other gang was the Balaji troop. I was not there with that gang. The other person from Saat Phere was Sharad (Kelkar) and he was there with his wife, so it was a couple-thing. I hardly knew anyone there, and then we were coming back from the awards to the hotel room…Stop smirking!" she breaks in mid sentence feigning irritation at me.
I wipe off the evident smile on my face and she continues. "As I was saying, we were coming back to the hotel and Kushal (Punjabi) is a friendly kind of a guy who talks to everyone. So, I was sitting alone, sulking, as I was very tired and I had no one to talk to. I think it was very nice of him to come say, 'Hi, how you doing?' He didn't know that I was an actress, so I told him which serial I was working in," she laughs again.
"I had seen him around, performing as he is a very good dancer. From there on, we hung out in Mauritius with his friends. Even when we returned to Mumbai, we kept in touch. I too had shifted my residence in the city and I had had a change in plans and change of friends. I was very secluded at one point of time as I was working too hard. I think he was really there; he kept in touch with me.
It usually happens such that you meet a person and then you don't keep in touch. But it wasn't like that and we are still in touch. People have seen us partying together; he loves partying and we hang out. It's been a long time since we went out since we've both been busy with work. But I like spending time with him; he is a nice guy."
As honest as it can get. Looks like people talking does not bother this bindaas girl much? "No, it doesn't scare me at all. Why should I be? If something good has to happen, then it will happen anyway. Right now, we're just friends." She adds after about three seconds of deliberation, "So, it is a clich but yes, you can't call anything something."
Raring to go, yet complacent with her work front looking up, Anchal tells me how the appreciation of well-wishers is already pouring in. Like many others, she has the heart of every woman in this city, an ongoing search for love and a much-revealed dark side too!
**BY FATEMA RAJKOTWALA
http://www.magnamags.com/magnamags/content/view/1387/lang,en glish/
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