Shweta Kwaatra On a role reversal

On a role reversal

SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY

She is best remembered as the wicked Pallavi of the Star Plus soap "Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki". Someone whose wily ways gave sleepless nights to Parvati and co. Because of the way she had narrowed her eyes, pursed her lips and glared at the opponents, actress Shweta Kwaatra was an immediate hit with the viewers of this popular Balaji Telefilms serial. And now, even months after this Delhiite has left the role, she doesn't need to tax her brains even a little bit to talk of "many incidents" on the streets when people would tell her not to be so mean to Parvati and family.

"That shows how impressive I was in that role, doesn't it," says Shweta, proud of its success. But if viewers had enough of her evil doings in the serial, for Shweta too, it soon was no less. "I needed a break from playing a negative role," she says, though adding, "Negative roles no doubt have lot of scope to improvise," which precisely was the reason the role of Pallavi attracted her in the first place.

But having decided to veer away from roles that rest on the negative, she soon got into anchoring the film-based show, "Current Bollywood" on Zee TV. Rolling out film gossip, trailers and songs, week after week but attracting viewer attention nevertheless. And while keeping the camera rolling for the Zee TV show, she pulled out of "Kahaani... " to soon move on to Sony TV.

"Now, I am in "CID Special Bureau" and this Friday, shall do a special episode of "Crime Patrol" with fellow Delhiite Shakti Anand," says this Jesus And Mary College alumnus. The special episode of this crime-based reality weekly show zooms in on the death of a dowry victim in Delhi.

"This offer specially attracted me, because of the Delhi connection. Though I am now Mumbai-based, I always get to hear from friends and family how increasingly unsafe women are in Delhi. If it is not dowry, then it could be sexual harassment on the road, in public transport, in schools and colleges, in hotels and now even in the hospitals," she rues.

Relating an incident in Mumbai, she says, "Though women are generally safe in Mumbai, I had once faced an unhappy incident in a city disco. I was with some friends and it was very crowded. I slapped a guy there who tried to be too cosy with me. Later, when my friends asked why I reacted so sharply, I told them, because I grew up in Delhi where I always had the fear that I was never safe."

But Delhi, she stresses, still holds a special place in her heart. "Whenever my parents visit me from Delhi, I always have a long list of things to get from the city. I keep prodding them on the phone, get this from Sarojini Nagar, get that from Lajpat Nagar," even as, she adds, her husband and TV actor Manav Gohil keeps laughing quietly at her.

'Saat Phere'

Getting back to her career, Shweta says she would be seen in a new series on Zee TV from next month, "Saat Phere". There are realistic shades to her character in the script written by Gurinder Shekhar, she informs.

"The good thing about our television shows is, more and more people are watching them. But the flip side is, they need to grow intellectually," she remarks.

Shweta hopes her next stop is Bollywood. "I have done a small but significant role in 'My Brother... Nikhil'. I want to do more films now but I think I am really bad at my PR," she says, laughing.