Kirti yearns for a film with the Big B

She became an instant household name with her histrionic skills in Kammal on Zee. Later on, she climbed up the populari- ty charts as the spiteful Niharika in Sinndoor Tere Naam Ka. Now after a string of televi- sion projects, actress Kirti Gaikwad dons a much-hyped role in StarOne's India Calling.

Recently you made an entry in StarOne's popular soap, India Calling. Tell us something about your character in the serial?
I play the mysterious Manisha aka Minididi of the female lead Chandni in India Calling. This is the first time that the mystical character got unveiled in one of the episodes. So long, she was only being heard over telephonic conversations with repeated mentions in the plot. But now the audience can see her appearance on screen. Manisha is an out-and-out small town girl — very homely yet ambitious at heart. Hailing from Jalandhar, she has that simple-sweet persona to charm others with her candid innocence. In pursuit of her goals, she travels to Mumbai to try her luck in the showbiz industry. However in the process, she makes some wrong choices that leads her astray. Meanwhile, Chandni makes a trip to Mumbai in search of her beloved sister.

Kammal, Aakrosh, Kahiin To Hoga, Sinndoor: Tere Naam Ka — your kitty seems to be spilling over with small screen projects. Has television brought you all the creative satisfaction that you seek?
Absolutely! Diverse roles means playing myriad characters and enacting a plethora of subtle emotions. If it was a grey shade such as Niharika in Sinndoor... , the title role in Kammal saw me portraying a positive character, while Manisha draws out a complex personality. I guess, it's all fun to be able to delve into varied traits of the human mind and live a thousand lives at the same time.

Do you feel that the current spate of serials generating the voice of today's women and dealing with contemporary issues has set a new trend that deviates from the ubiquitous saas-bahu sagas?
Every other genre has its own flavour, be it the saas-bahu tearjerkers or the aaj ki nari bandwagon. Moreover, the winds of a changing scenario are inevitable. But honestly, I enjoy playing a confident middle-class woman with down-to-earth principles and head always held high.

From Kanpur to the city of dreams, Mumbai — the journey's been a long one. How did acting happen?
Well back home, I was very much into theatre with Nadira Babbar's Ek Jute. Having delivered a lot of stage acts in between, I wanted to do something different to break the monotony. And quite akin to Manisha's character (quips), I travelled to Mumbai and accepted an odd job. But in due course of time, I got fascinated with television and offers kept pouring in.

Nowadays, onscreen love birds turning into offscreen couples has created a rage of sorts. How did love strike between you and actor Sharad Kelkar?
Obviously on the sets! Where else could it be? (laughs) Both of us were supposed to do the serial CID together, which ultimately fizzled out. And it was during those occasional meetings on the shooting floors, that the love bug bit us. Now we are happily married for the past seven months after tying the knot in June, last year.

Are you game for film offers in the long run?
Not really. Nevertheless, I intend to keep my options open in case of meaty scripts. I would definitely toy with parallel cinema or performance oriented roles in commercial flicks. And yes, who can turn down a role opposite Big B (Amitabh Bachchan) himself! (laughs).