Posted:
LUBNA SALIM INTERVIEW : Here's Lubna
Career options were there but I didn't give them a thought. Because of my parents' association with IPTA, I began acting on stage right from childhood. I grew up acting on stage and never snapped my ties with stage to consider other career options. Since I wanted to do theatre, I joined Mithibai College where, along with my studies, I did theatre at inter-collegiate level and won several awards including the prestigious Balraj Sahni award for best actress. So theatre was your world then and acting was the only career option you explored...
I didn't think of doing anything else. I had a great time doing theatre in college. Having been an actress since childhood I guess acting became a natural choice for my journey in adulthood and life. But marriage happened to you quite early in life, right after you were out of college. Were you prepared for it? Didn't it hamper your career for almost a decade?
There was no question of not being prepared for marriage though I got married at a very young age. In fact, marriage has been a very happy experience for me. After my graduation, I worked in Discovery of India where I met Salim who was the series' costume designer. It was instant attraction and love and two years later we got married. Then motherhood followed and I took a long break to raise my two sons. Salim was extremely supportive and it was he who encouraged me to come out of the sabbatical. Thus six years ago, my second innings began with voice-over, modeling and acting.
And you came back with a bang?Well, almost. I did Daaman, Chhatrapati Shivaji and other serials besides hosting several shows for ETV Urdu. I also did a series of ad campaigns for ICICI Bank, Ariel, Pepsodent, Mediker and so on. Chhatrapati Shivaji was a memorable experience. It dealt with the Maratha warrior's life through the eyes of his mother Jijabai. I played the role and it was a great experience because the character's life graph was from young 20 years old to 64. Being a non-Maharashtrian, it was an honour to play the role for which I was nominated for the ITA best actress award twice. It must be a great experience again for you to do Baa Bahu Aur Baby. Did your theatre background help get the role, as the cast of the serial comprises mostly of theatre actors? Besides, the makers, Aatish Kapadia and Jamnadas Majethia, are also from theatre.
Indeed it is a great experience. Aatish and JD were my seniors in college but I was not in touch with them for a long time. About a year back, they called me for Baatliwala House No. 42 but I felt I was too young to play the role. Later they called me again to audition for Baa Bahu Aur Baby. After the audition, I forgot all about it. Then one day JD phoned to tell me that of the four bahus in the serial, I was to play Leela, the eldest bahu. Assuring me that it was a good role, he was not prepared to give me time to think about it. He also said that I should not refuse the role. When I asked him when the shooting was to begin, he replied, "Tomorrow". I trusted him and said yes. And what an experience it has been. What impresses you most about the show? Is it the writing-acting combination that has been blended so well?
It's a serial with a huge canvass and deals with a normal middle class Gujarati family. Though it may sound cliched but the fact is it has a slice of life ... the emotions, relationships, double standards, backbiting, bonding in the family, they are all real. There are no two opinions that the writing is simply superb. Besides all characters are well defined and full justice has been done to every character. At times it seem Leela is a reluctant bahu. Probably because she sacrificed her dream by marrying the plain Arvind.
Leela comes from an up market South Mumbai home. The fact that she was compelled to marry into the suburban joint family by her father rattles her at times though she is perfectly happy in her present state. Yes, she had an option to marry an NRI and settle down in America. So in a way she has an unfulfilled dream because she would love to live in America. But she is happy as Arvind's wife as well. Doesn't it happen in real life too? Why has Arvind been shown as mama's boy, always completely on Baa's side?
That's because he is the eldest son who has seen his mother struggling during her bad times and how she managed to rescue her family from penniless days to comfortable living standards. Having seen bad times, he lives simple and is a meticulous person. So meticulous that he maintains a diary to keep account of every penny earned and spent?
(Laughs) Yeah. He is an LIC agent and maintaining a diary goes well with the character though it may seem funny to others. After all, the serial is nothing but a slice of life. Is working for a daily very stressful?
No, we work at a leisurely pace. There is no rush for anything as we shoot two to three scenes in a day because of the bank we have. My commitment for the serial is 20 days in a month that leaves me with little time for modeling and plays. You are doing Kachche Lamhe and it's doing pretty well.
Yes, it's my home production, directed by Salim. It is based on a short story by Gulzarsaab and written by Papa. The play is about marital relationship and extra-marital affair that leads to realisation of its uselessness. It's a beautiful play that explores assertion of identity by a woman through an affair, which has no meaning because the other relationship also falls apart.
Your plate seems to be full with a play and one daily. Is any other serial in the offing?
No, I prefer to do one serial at a time. I have never been in the rat race. I like to do quality work. Papa would always tell me that whatever I do I should do with involvement and commitment.
Udne Ki Aasha
Kumkum Bhagya
Arjun
