"I always give in my 100% at whatever I am doing" - Bharti Kumar
The very cute, pretty, smart and talkativeBharti Kumar, better known as Kiya' from Channel V's very popular show, The Buddy Project, gets candid with urlremoved about her experiences on the show, and lots more!
Tell us about yourself?
I am a very fun loving as well as hard working person and so, I always give in my 100% at whatever I am doing. Also, not many know that I am very passionate about dance as well as someone who loves to just perform, and dance did play quite a big role in getting me to become a performer!
What made you chose a career in acting?
As I said, I love being a performer, and somehow I just knew some people, who were conducting some auditions years ago for which I did get selected as the lead role for their new show, as they happened to see and like my audition, but post that nothing ever happened as the lead role thing didn't eventually work out, but then one day I got a call to play a parallel lead on Disney Channel's show Ishaan', which I did take up, and that's how I ventured into the field of acting. Post that, I did the cameo role of Milouni in Humse Hai Life, which definitely did help in getting even more familiar with this field.
How had the Buddy Project offer come to you?
The Channel V guys had seen me on Humse Hai Life', which was actually a pretty small role, but I guess they did like and so approached me for the new show to play the role of Kiya', and it did interest me after which I took it up, and now here I am.
What challenges have you had to face in your acting career?
According to me, the most difficult challenge for an actor is to understand the audience and relate to them as well. I mean, you take up a scene and think of the way you would do it to suit how comfortable you are, but more importantly, you have to see and feel it according to how you think your audience would! Television is very different as your audience sees you on screen every single day and not just once after which they move on, so communicating with them in the right way is very essential, and that I felt was a big big challenge for me, and sometimes I feel the same way now also.
How different are you from your on-screen character Kiya?
At the very beginning, Kiya played a very bold girl who showed herself as very strong, but actually she was a loner who pretty much kept to herself. In those terms, I am exactly the opposite of Kiya as I am not a very bold girl and not too strong as well and therefore never keep anything bundled up inside, as I always prefer to just let it out. Though somewhere down the line I am somewhat of an extrovert and only do tend to show my fun or loving self to the ones close to me, so that way I kind of relate to Kiya sometimes.
What is your rapport like with the cast and team of The Buddy Project, and who is your favourite person from the cast?
Whenever anybody asks me this question, I always say that you guys should really come over to the set and spend a day with us to actually know how much fun we have, and also how well we all Gel together! It's been more than a year since the show is on air as well as us shooting together, and I still can't get over how so many nice and awesome people have happened to meet and spend so much time with each other, because of this show. The rapport we all share is just great, as nobody has any kind of problems or issues with anyone, no jhagda, no ego's etc, and so all of us actually end up having a great time on set everyday! We indulge in a lot of get together's, lunches, dinners, birthday celebrations and lots of other daily masti on set. The good rapport we share on screen is what we actually share off-screen too. I treat Palak(Panchi) and Sonal(Rukmani), as my younger sisters and we girls are really close and always have tons of fun in our dressing room! Kanika who played Avantika earlier was the only one my age, and so we also had a lot of fun when she was on the show too. Palak is someone from whom I always get acting advice every day, as she was a child artist which was her ticket to acting, and so the girl is really good! The guys, Fahad (KD), Kunal (Ranveer) and Nikhil (Piddhi) are a lot of fun to hang out with and great people too! But yes, Kunal and Nikhil are always playing pranks on us girls like locking us in the room, scaring us and Nikhil loves to irritate us by imitating the way we walk and talk, but Fahad doesn't play too many pranks on the girls and instead plays a lot of boy pranks on the other boys, unless he is really in the mood of troubling us girls any day! So when asked about my favourite person from the cast of the show, I don't have one favourite as I am very friendly and close to them all from the cast, and so they all are my favourites!
How has it been working with Manav Gohil who is the eldest as well as most experienced actor on the show, till now?
Manav sir has really really been an inspiration to us all, on this show! Working with his is a pleasure because he is a wonderful actor, a very very helpful person who infact has always worked hard with us to make us better at everything we do too! He is someone who plays dum-sharaz with us, sings and dances along with us, and at the same time conducts his own style of acting workshops with us, where he gives us all a real life scene asking us to sometimes become somebody's sister, brother, husband, wife etc, and then act out the scene according to the requirement and role. So overall, he has been a mentor to us all, and at the same time indulges in all the fun activities with us and does have a great time too! Also, the one very important technique he taught us all is, "To become a good actor, you should always look into the person's eyes and talk", which has really helped me definitely go a long long way! He is somebody I look up to, and always will.
How does it feel being the very popular Kiya' now?
For me, it is a big responsibility actually, because Kiya is now a very popular face and well known too, and so I feel that I always have to live up to the expectations of the audiences and those who love her, to make her even better than she is! Other than that, it feel awesome to know that Kiya' is such a popular face and so loved, and I hope that people will always continue to love Kiya like they do now.
Kiya and KD are the most popular pair on screen, so how does that feel? And what is your rapport like Fahad?
Fahad and I are really overwhelmed at the response we have received to Kiya and KD on screen. Trust me, it just feels great, and we want to really thank all the fans who love us so much. Also, Fahad is a great guy and we are actually good friends off screen. He is a few years older to me and so the feedback he gives me for anything is something I always take into consideration and work on. Since we have most of our scenes together, we always work on them well, and in a way where we tell each other that what if we were really dating then how would we have reacted to this incident, if we were really in such a problem, how would we have reacted to the incident. So this technique really has helped us all throughout, which I guess has brought the awesomeness of Kiya and KD on screen, whom people love.
Fun moments on the sets of The Buddy Project which you will always remember?
There are sooo many memories that I will always remember! There was this one time where Nikhil (Piddhi), who is very good at playing the table, started playing it, to which we all began singing, and soon the entire unit joined us and it became a fun game which went on and on and on! Other than that, all the house parties we have, small lunch and dinner get together's, and just hanging out with each other, which are all awesome memories which none of us will ever forget!
Any special fan moments on or off set?
There is this one girl who is a huge fan of the show, and so she had come on set a while ago to meet us, with a lot of gifts, cards and letters from other fans as well. It was really touching reading all those letters and cards and to also know that so many people just love us! Other than that, a lot of fans come in during the week to the set to meet us, which really feels good.
Rapid Fire:
What is your typical day like?
I shoot the entire day and then come home and just sleep!
Food you like to eat?
Indian is my favourite cuisine, and Rajma-Chaval as well as Green Thai Curry are my favourite dishes.
Favorite Bollywood Actor?
Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor!
Favorite Bollywood Actress?
Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor!
When is your birthday?
26th January.
What is your sun-sign?
I am an Aquarius.
Finally, a message for all the fans who you as well as The Buddy Project?
Keep watching The Buddy Project from Monday-Friday at 6pm only on Channel V, and a big thanks to all you guys for your love and support! You all have just been great!
Writer:Rhea Parekh
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