Woh rehnewaali Noida ki
By: Heena Agarwal
September 11, 2005
------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------
Wedding album: Reena Kapoor with husband Karan and in-laws
Reena Kapoor, the heroine of Woh Rehnewaali Mehlon Ki, is a typical Barjatya heroine. She is coy, saccharine sweet and sacrificing.
The recently married actress breaks all the unspoken laws laid down by daughters-in-law, both on and off screen â she praises her in-laws, unstintingly!
"My papa was in the Navy but later he joined the merchant navy. My brother, like my father, is also in the merchant navy. My father-in-law belonged to the Air Force. He now flies, independently. So the family background of my husband and me was more or less similar.
In the serial, I had an arranged marriage; ditto in real life. Believe it or not, very often, the serial's story and my life's story were running on almost parallel track, whether it was my engagement or my marriage.
In the serial I meet Raj at the hospital where my father has been admitted. Fortunately, in my real life I didn't meet my husband Karan Nijhar in one. I met him at our Guruji's darbar. I was extremely nervous when I met him. I tried to avoid looking at him and was talking mostly to his parents.
His mother suggested that I talk to him but I was too nervous to do so.
We got married in February 2005. After the first meeting, we went out on two occasions, once for lunch at Radisson, before I returned to Mumbai for my shoot.
I told him very frankly that I have a career in Mumbai whereas his job with HCL Technologies required him to be in Delhi. I reasoned that he shouldn't let marriage affect each other's career prospects and that we should take our families into confidence.
We promised to remain friends irrespective of whether things worked out or not. While talking to him, I discovered that both of us were vegetarians, and even our likes and dislikes were almost similar.
When I went across to my husband's house in Noida, I wasn't expecting a mahal. Since my parents also stay in Noida, I felt at home. I felt reassured by the thought that the next time I visited Delhi, I would be living in my husband's house instead of my parents' house â that was the only difference.
Luckily I did not have to make too many adjustments.
My in-laws have a cook so I don't have to risk making a mess of things. The first meal I cooked for my in-laws was yellow dal. My in-laws presented me with a pearl set for my effort.
I don't want to stay separately from my in-laws. They are very proud of me and encourage me a lot.
My mother-in-law watches the serial in the night and watches the repeat on the afternoon, next day. She is very critical about my performance. She is more like a friend. My father-in-law is very jovial. We keep pulling each other's leg all the time.
Akin to my character in the serial, I would have supported my sister-in-law if I had one. But, unlike my character in Woh Rehnewaali . I would have involved my in-laws in solving her problem too. I feel parents love their daughters hundred times more than any sister-in-law can.
The difference in my screen role and real life is in the serial I am pampering others most of the time, whereas in real life I get pampered a lot by my in-laws and my husband.
Besides, my husband likes to clear the air if there are any unresolved issues. He doesn't hold grudges close to his chest.
My in-laws keep pushing us to spend more time together because they feel that we haven't had a proper honeymoon. They say that we need to spice up our lives because we didn't do anything crazy like running away and getting married. We (Karan and I) joke with them that at the most we will elope to Mumbai and return to Noida.
I get lot of space at my in-laws place. When given an opportunity, we like to spend as much time as we can. Usually, my father-in-law is preoccupied with his flying and spends a lot of time in Orissa.
My brother-in-law is studying in Chandigarh. Karan works in Delhi, I am in Mumbai. So when we are together, we go out for dinners or sit at home and play cards.
Since my husband and I are mentally compatible, neither of us had to make any adjustments. But if a marriage demands adjustments, I think both partners should do their bit."
Karan Nijhar, Reena's husband
"I see my wife's serial at times but my parents are avid viewers. They don't miss a single episode. I don't see it as often because the onscreen mother-in-law is constantly screaming and shouting at my wife.
When her screen husband hugged her and she responded, "What are you doing? Koi dekh lega," I ribbed Reena that it's too late to warn him.
Your real husband (me), who lives in Delhi, has already seen you hugging your screen husband. But jokes apart, these scenes don't bother me. The onscreen husband is hugging the character of his wife, he is not hugging my wife Reena.
I have met Reena's screen husband and also the rest of the cast who play her family in the serial. I share a cordial relation with them."
Reena's toughest shot
"My toughest shot was the one where my character was required to cook but was convinced that she wouldn't be able to do so as she wasn't trained. I was walking the thin line â there was a possibility of reducing the scene to a laugh-evoking one, rather than a poignant moment.
Since I am a good cook, I rehearsed for the scene so that I would look a convincing amateur. I did the shot in the very first take. It was a scene closest to my heart.
On another occasion, Arjun Punj (Raj) had to grab my hand and pull me to a hall full of people and brandish his fingers at them and declare, 'We are in this mess thanks to the interference of all those present here.' Every time, Arjun Punj yanked me by my arm, he would invariably forget his lines. It had me in splits."
TV Gyaan
Aparna is the dress designer for Reena Kapoor in Woh Rehnewaali Mehlon Ki. The serial is shot at Trimurti Studios, Dahisar. Reena Kapoor says, "Shagufta, who plays my mean mother-in-law, unlike her screen image, is very jovial off screen. In fact, you can't judge people by their onscreen images."
Anupamaa
