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"I Was Shocked On Getting Tere Liye After Such A Big Scandal"

How Balaji Gave Anupriya Kapoor a Second Chance

Anupriya Kapoor made headlines when she boldly walked out of the Balaji Telefilms show Bayttaab Dil Kee Tamanna Hai. Little did she know that this step would not only get her noticed, but also get her the show Tere Liye from the Balaji camp itself! As much as Tere Liye's abrupt end saddens her, she believes that it was this show that helped her prove her worth as an actor and even marked the turning point in her career. Currently enjoying a much-deserved break, she talks to Showtime about her journey so far, her equation with Balaji and more.

She may have starred in shows like Seven, Rishta.com and Miley Jab Hum Tum but it was her convincing portrayal of Taani that won the audience's hearts. Ask her how the journey has been so far and she explains, "I wouldn't say that it's been a smooth journey, but I have definitely learnt a lot. Now I know how to handle people. I was barely 16 when I began my career."

For a young girl like her, it was rather difficult to adjust to the industry norms at first and she had a tough time working in the show Miley Jab Hum Tum. "Miley… was a show with six pairs and there were a lot of ego clashes among the actors there. When I joined, the show was more than a year old and the people who were already a part of it, had a huge fan following. So initially, it became very difficult to fit in. Also, people who were there became insecure about their positions in the show. So I did face some trouble. But it only helped me grow as an actor," she takes a breather and adds, "I eventually left Miley…because I realized that I wasn't doing much on the show. I thought I was mere furniture in it. In fact, at some point, I felt like leaving the sets because I thought that in spite of joining as a lead, I didn't get my due credit. After I left, the show worked only for a while."

Not many know that the pretty actress was working as the Associate Creative Head for Star Voice Of India before her stint with acting. She reveals, "I didn't want to do the same old nine-to-five job. I wanted to have a fun life. My brother was already participating in Star Voice Of India. I thought the easiest way to start, was to start as an intern. I became the Executive Producer and went on to become the Associate Creative Head of the show. Once it got over, I began auditioning for albums and ads. That's when I got a call from Yash Raj for Seven and Rishta.com and after that, there has been no looking back."

Though she got her first lead role in the popular Tere Liye, her exit from Bayttaab… was most definitely her claim to fame. "People actually started recognizing me because of the hype that was created after I decided to quit Bayttaab… It was only after this controversy that I was called to Endemol. Even for Tere liye, I never went for an audition. They called me. So the Bayttaab… scandal gave my career a boost. People started saying 'yeh wahin ladki hai na?'"

Ask her why she did not go ahead with the show even after appearing in the promos and she asserts, "I was told Bayttaab… was a remake of Kasamh Se and that I will be playing Prachi Desai's character, Bani, in it. I was given this impression by the creative and the production guys, which is why I went ahead and auditioned for the lead role and even shot for the promos. Later, I came to know that I was the second lead and not the protagonist. Nobody told me all this." She further explains, "It was a big decision for me. One has to think before walking out of a Balaji show four days prior to shooting. But what I really found unfair was that they lied to me. Who knows? If I was told from the beginning about the real role, I might have done it also. But lies and force do not work with me."

Did it ever cross her mind that making enemies with a big banner like Balaji could hamper her career forever? "I didn't think about all this because I had completely lost it," she clarifies. "I had major fights with the creative guys even outside Balaji. I think the people who created all this mess aren't working with Balaji anymore."

Naturally, this incident miffed Ekta Kapoor until she learnt the real story. "When the narration happened, Ekta wasn't around. Later, when Ekta got involved, people said that she was really angry with me. But I didn't think she knew the whole story. I had never spoken to her directly, so I didn't know what story her employees had told her," she says.
But didn't she feel the need to clear out the misunderstanding with Ekta? "Shobha Aunty had already heard my story from other people," she states confidently. "They offered me Tere Liye, only because they knew my intentions. So I didn't feel the need to go and clarify anything. I'm not a person who clarifies things. If people want clarifications, I can sit and discuss it with them. But I don't force my side of the story on anyone."

Despite the hype that was created, she insists that there was no bad blood between Ekta and her. She states, "I really don't know how they approached me after such a big scandal. But when they did, I didn't want to rake up the past. Even during Tere Liye, I met Ekta so many times but not once did we talk about the Bayttaab… controversy. So there were no problems with her at all. But when I came in for Tere Liye, I made it very clear to the makers that if they respect me as an artiste, I will be there for them. But the moment they cross the line like they did in Bayttaab, I would leave Tere Liye too. I made myself very clear."

Unfortunately for Anupriya, her Tere Liye journey ended in less than a year. Buzz is that differences between Ekta and Star Plus led the show to go off air. She steers clear of further controversy and says, "I've only heard from people that there were problems like these. As an actor, I still don't know why such a sudden step was taken. It's not like the show was doing too bad. It seems like the channel and Balaji share a love-hate relationship. But I haven't really witnessed it as an actor."

It's not easy for an actor to see her show come to an end. Anupriya agrees, "We all gave our heart and soul to this project, so it was very disheartening when we came to know that we had to wrap it up in a month," she says sadly, "We slept on the sets, worked when we had fever and shot under all circumstances. Our story was in such a place that it was impossible to bring it to an end. People who watched the show would've easily understood how there weren't many justifications because there was no time to show things. More than that, the cast was like family to me. I have a Tere Liye group on my BlackBerry, where all of us keep discussing how much we miss being together."

Her performance may have been lauded in the show but she's in no hurry to sign another one, as she is busy planning a much-needed vacation. "I want to give the audience some time until they see me in another role. People are so attached to Taani that they wouldn't be able to see me in another character so soon. I also want to take some time off because I was very emotionally attached to this show."

She might want to take a break, but we can't wait to this talented actress on screen again. Won't you agree?

*Courtesy: Showtime

It is his co-star from Left Right Left, Kunal Kapoor who played the role of Yudi. Harshad and Kunal often drive down to the hill station of Lonavala just for a cup of coffee.