Interview:Saidiya[Gayatri buasa of SP]

During the last decade Sadiya Siddiqui was seen quite regularly on television in serials like Humraahi, Banegi Apni Baat, Maan and Chonch Ladi Re Chonch. But between 2000 and 2005 Sadiya was almost missing from the small screen. Was it a self-imposed sabbatical from serials? "I didn't do much work on TV because there was nothing for me to do. I don't believe in putting on make-up and saying lines. Good roles were just not there," says the television, theatre and film actress who was busy doing plays, short films and offbeat feature films.

After a five-year-long hiatus, Sadiya is back on the small screen. Back with a bang as Saloni's bua Gayatri in Saath Phere, where she plays an unhappy and lifeless child widow who sees life and happiness knocking on her doors when a young, educated and liberal man proposes to her for marriage.

After a lot of drama and debate on widow remarriage and fight with her own family to exercise control over her life, Gayatri is married and happy. "Gayatri had to wear dull clothes and couldn't enter the puja room. Gradually she was made to realise that she had the right to be happy and live her own life by marrying her family's driver. That's how her life undergoes a transformation," says Sadiya who took an instant liking to the role when the serial's writer, Punendra Shekhar, gave her the character sketch.

"Being a child widow I had to be silent and talk through facial expressions and eye movements. Since I am trained in Kathak I could do it easily," says Sadiya adding that it was quite a challenge playing the character. "My basic problem is that I won't do a role if it is not challenging enough."

That was precisely the reason why she kept away from TV and turned to theatre and films. "I did Kali Salwar that was highly appreciated in festival circuits. Raghu Romeo was another film I had good time doing. Besides there were a few short films like Bombay Summer, Sabla and Shanti that kept me busy with good roles. Theatre was another medium I turned to for keeping the actor in me going," she goes on. Talking about television of the '90s Sadiya says serials were much better in those days.

"I had a great time doing television then," she confesses. "Today people have less patience. Everybody is in a rush. They don't allow you think and take a pause. While saying your dialogues if you take a pause it is edited out. Channels say people have no time for pauses. Creativity has really gone down. Anybody who speaks Hindi is an actor today."