Sayantani is back

After waiting for two years since the conclusion of her show Naagin on Zee TV, hot and sexy Sayantani Ghosh is back to enthrall the viewers with her acting chops. Not the one to stay away from the arc lights like her ilks, Ghosh has been making strong cameo appearances in shows like Uttaran and Sabki laadli Bebo along with quenching the thirst of a dancer inside her by participating in dance shows and performing at awards. It was finally UTV Tele Talkies' Rakt Sambandh, a tale about the strong bonding of five sisters, that caught her interest and she agreed to play the second sister Sakshi. Smart, ambitious and rebellious, Sakshi believes in being independent and earning a living for herself.

Sayantani talks about her disappointment when Naagin, a project close to her heart, was shelved and the reason behind taking up Rakt Sambandh.
You were to make a comeback with the season two of Naagin. What happened to the project? When Naagin concluded even I was told that this is just a seasonal break and we will come back with its second season. We also shot the last episode accordingly to keep the story open for a second season. That has been the primary reason behind me not taking up any new project in the initial four to five months after the show went off-air. But they didn't return with season two probably because the channel has gone into a lot of strategic transformation and currently I don't see the possibility of the show returning. Were you disappointed to know that the channel is not launching the new season of the show? To a certain extent yes because we didn't know that the show is going to wrap up. We were told we are going into a seasonal break but it turned out otherwise. Let me tell you that the story of the second season was even more interesting and gripping. It had me in double roles and I was sure that the audience would have liked it. I too was looking forward to it but it's always a channel's prerogative to decide on the future of its shows. What excites me is that even today people address me as Naagin and this gives me immense pleasure as your sole aim is to impress the viewers and connect with them. The brighter side to it can be that as an actress, I am getting to play different roles and characters through other shows.

People remember you as Antara from Kumkum too.
Yes, they do but Naagin was a different character altogether. Kakul and Antara were real life characters whereas Naagin was a supernatural character and probably the reason it has been etched out in the viewers' memory.

How has been your journey as an actor till date?
Mumbai has been treating me really well. I came to the city of dreams four years ago in search of work. I was shooting in Kolkata then and I was called to do Kumkum. After that I was finalized to play the lead in Anurag Basu's Love Story but its shooting got delayed because of the world cup and in the meantime I was offered Ghar Ek Sapna followed by Naagin and now Rakt Sambandh. It's been a great journey and I feel fortunate as as people have liked my work and channels have been repeating me be it for cameos or non-fiction shows.

Will you be calling the shots at home on Rakt Sambandh? There is no liking as such. It's a very interesting character. My character has to give up work as family becomes her priority but as they say that the mentality of a working woman differs from a housewife. They always like to be independent and earn a living for themselves. A working woman would not want like to be at her husband's mercy when it comes to money. Again as Sandhya, I am not going to dominate my husband but we will have our verbal altercation and clashes. He would want me to give up everything and being an independent woman who has been earning all her life can't think of doing it. I would like to strike a balance between my professional and personal life. Over-ambitious characters on television often tend to turn grey. Will the character of Sandhya too turn grey on the show? Infact the major twist is that at some point on the show my husband will turn grey. The show has already been made in two languages - Telugu and Kannad and according to the writer of the show, Prashant Jadhav, Sakshi is a character which has been loved the most by the viewers. A girl of my age who enters into the television as an actor would love to do such a role. So far all the characters portrayed by the actresses on television have been on two extremes. For example you have a show like Uttaran, where Iccha as a character is submissive and meek. I am sure if my husband tortures me endlessly, I won't take it lying low and on the contrary we have Tapasya who can go to any length to marry her love. I don't think a woman can be so negative and scheming. I agree that exceptions do exist but I don't think women function like this. Sakshi is a balance between being submissive and independent. My character is relatable and real.

Don't you fear being side-lined amidst so many faces on the show?
I have been told that it's an Indian take on the popular international series Desperate Housewives not story-wise but the manner in which all the characters are treated. They get equal prominence and screen space on the show. You can't focus on just one character and sideline others on such shows so even this show will focus on all the five couples who differ from each other like chalk and cheese. Yes at the end the viewers' feedback does matter but we expect them to appreciate the concept and the show.

If this is an experiment then one must say that Indian audiences aren't receptive to changes?
But wherever I go my viewers tell me that television has nothing unique to offer and we are just serving the same old concepts. So in a way we are bringing about a change and you never know we become the trendsetters.

What prompted you to do cameos in Uttaran and Sabki Laadli Bebo?
Primarily the season two of Naagin which refrained me from taking up daily soaps as the lead and another reason was that I wanted to rest for a while as I was completely exhausted doing both fictions and non-fictions. Taking up cameos was a conscious effort as I didn't want to out of sight. Actresses who started their careers along with me kept waiting for lead roles which didn't happen to them for various reasons, are nowhere today. I was offered many shows but nothing excited me till Rakt Sambandh happened to me. I was also offered the role of the third sister on the show but I wasn't too keen on doing it as she again is a submissive and docile bahu who keeps shedding copious tears.

However the promos seem to be focusing on the youngest sister played by Sriti Jha. Does it mean that the other characters will be sidelined?
It's just the first episode that is being aired on the promos. To tell you the makers of the show actually called me to say that I might get disappointed with the way the promos have been shot. They told me that the promos are like teasers to the very first episode where a very important event will take place. They are trying to attract as many viewers as possible through the very first episode and then shape it up accordingly.

Are you open to do item numbers in movies? Yes, why not. If you have makers like Prakash Jha then I would take up the offer. Any plans of settling down in personal life? You mean marriage then no plans to settle down as yet.