Difficult to get over breakup with Eijaz-Anita

"IT WAS DIFFICULT TO GET OVER MY BREAK-UP WITH EIJAZ"
'HONESTLY, BALAJI IS LIKE FAMILY. IT'S MY COMFORT ZONE. SO I WANTED TO CONSCIOUSLY GET OUT OF THAT COMFORT ZONE. THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO START OFF WITH SOMETHING NEW. I WILL DEFINITELY WORK WITH BALAJI. THERE ARE NO TWO WAYS ABOUT THAT. BUT I AM GLAD THAT I HAVE STARTED WITH SOMETHING DIFFERENT.'



Anita Hasanandani has been a part of this industry for a little less than a decade now. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she has time and again proved her mettle as an actress with her incredible portrayals in shows like Kabhii Sautan Kabhii Sahelii, Kkavyanjali and Comedy Circus to name a few. But Anita's years in the entertainment business have not been without trials and tribulations. She's been somebody's eternal flame in the gossip column for a long time, as a result of her rocky relationship with Eijaz Khan. In the movie business too, she's merely sparkled. Yet she is one of the very few actresses today, with a strong sense of self.

When I meet Anita at a suburban coffee shop in Mumbai, she is dressed in a pretty maroon churidaar with her curtain of silky black hair tumbling over her shoulders. "It's new," she says, flashing her infectious million-dollar smile that lights up the whole room. She certainly looks better than ever, her glowing, wheatish skin creases only when she laughs – which she does a lot. Besides being the tragic heroine (remember Kkavyanjali), a brilliant actress and a woman of thousand expressions, Anita is also something else – she is funny, chatty and prone to exclamations of delight as the words come spilling out. "I am content," she smiles.

And the star has every right to look happy these days. Her career's in overdrive right now, thanks to the many accolades she is winning for her portrayal in Vikram Bhatt's maiden TV venture Anhoniyon Ka Andhera. Anita is nothing if not versatile; after all, despite her patrician looks, she has been able to effectively become a regular girl in her latest TV offering.

At this point in life, Anita is well-aware that life should be celebrated at every opportunity. In an exclusive tell-all, the gorgeous actress speaks to Showtime about all the chapters of her life. Right from her comeback on TV, her failed relationship with Eijaz to falling in love once again, Anita speaks her heart out!

She shakes her head and shrugs as she talks about her journey so far. "You know, I don't come from a filmi background, so my journey has been wonderful. I started from nowhere and even though a lot of people may not think that I am very successful, I couldn't be happier. I don't regret shifting to movies either because I have experienced a lot. I have learnt so much. I feel blessed."

Though Anita has no regrets, she admits that the failure of a film close to her heart did shatter her to an extent. "I was expecting a lot from Koi Aap Sa and was very emotionally attached to that role. Before I started shooting for the film, I just knew that it would be loved. It was one of the best roles any girl could get and it was a beautiful script. But you can't guess what people will like or what will do well," she reminisces, "The funny part is, even today, whenever the movie is playing on TV, I get so many calls from people saying that they loved the movie. It saddens me even more."

Anita was one of the top actresses on TV when she decided to take a long sabbatical from television soaps, which ended just recently. "Taking a sabbatical was my personal choice," she cuts in, "When you do TV, you don't really get time for anything. I wanted to spend time with my family. I did a lot in these couple of years. I learnt how to cook, dance and even did a few reality shows."

Many are calling …Andhera her comeback show on the small screen. Is she back on the small screen for good? "Yes, this is my comeback show and it feels good to be working with a great maker like Vikram Bhatt. It's a horror show, which is his fort. I can confidently say that this is one of the most performance-oriented roles I have done so far, on television and in films. I am like a superhero on the show, so it's really cool.

Personally though, I would never want to have superpowers like that. I'd be living a life of hell if I was communicating with ghosts," she pauses, "In fact, I am happier that I am back on TV now. I feel TV is where I started, so it kind of makes me feel at home."
According to sources, this show is being labelled as a rip-off of the English film Gothika (starring Halle Berry). What does she have to say about that? "Honestly, I haven't seen the movie. But if the show was a rip-off of a film, I would've known. I am the protagonist of the show. See, it's an original script and the story changes every three-four episodes. One of the main reasons I did the show was because it's not monotonous."

But given that Anita is very close to Ekta Kapoor, why didn't she make a comeback with Balaji Telefilms? "Honestly, Balaji is like family. It's my comfort zone. So I wanted to consciously get out of that comfort zone. That's why I wanted to start off with something new. I will definitely work with Balaji. There are no two ways about that. But I am glad that I have started with something different."

When Ekta learnt about Anita's comeback, didn't she get in touch with her? "Yes, she did. In fact, she calls me up before she starts every show, even now," giggles Anita, "She tells me whenever I am ready, I just have to let her know. Now that I am back to TV with a weekly, if I get time and a great concept, I will definitely work with Balaji."

The pretty actress seems to be in a rather happy place as far as her professional life is concerned. But coming to something more personal, life hasn't been fair. Her much-talked about long-standing relationship with Eijaz Khan came to a sudden end, a while back. At the time, Anita was also said to have been heartbroken. The actress, who has always been very tight-lipped about her personal life, doesn't flinch even for a second when I ask her about this. "It was very difficult to get over our break-up initially" she says upfront, "I think my friends were like my rock of support at that time. It was all my friends. They would take me out and come hang with me all the time. When you are in a relationship, you spend all your time with your partner. And when you break up, suddenly you are empty. It's like your day just starts and ends with your boyfriend," she takes a breather, "You get the first and last call of your day from him. I even had a pact with one of my friends that whenever I felt like calling Eijaz up, I would call her up. And I would tell her to always answer my call."


(To be continued)

*Courtesy: Showtime