TOI:Prime Time Divas - Pooja

Prime time divas 

Gujarat girls are now playing strong and prominent roles on television.On the 100th International Womens Day,AT raises a toast to some of them 

Amrita Mulchandani 


Its a womans world out there on our soapboxes,irrespective of the dateline on the calender.In fact one of the constants on prime time television over the years most shows still continue to be dominated by the fairer sex.And the icing on the cake Gujarat girls have not only made it big in the Hindi television industry,but they are even taking leading roles in tugging at the audiences heartstrings and garnering TRPs.Pooja Gor (Maan Kee Awaaz Pratigya),Esha Kansara (Mukti B a n d h a n ),Binny Sharma (Sanjog Se Bani Sangini),Priti Amin (Lapataganj ),Disha Va k a n i ( Ta a ra k Mehta Ka Ooltah Chasm a h ),Muskan Mihani (Ring Wro n g Ring) are some girls who comprise this evergrowing list of women calling the shots in TV shows.
At a time when reg re s s ive shows tend to grab eyeballs,a few reel women are making heads turn with their strong characters in their respective shows.Pooja Gor who plays the character of Pratigya is a small town girl,traditional in her beliefs,yet is someone who believes in standing up for what is right.E s h a Kansara,Devk i of Mukti Bandhan is a contemporary woman with aspirations but at the same time she has her roots intact.In biz circles she is highly respected and is even touted to be the next big thing,but she does not let anything affect her principles.A n o t h e r s t ro n g character is Binny Sharmas Gauri in S a n j o g Se Bani Sangini,who is level-headed a n d grounded des p i t e h e r yo u t h a n d c a n h a n - dle difficult situations.Priti Amin,aka Surili in Lapataganj a pretty,poor girl who was sent on earth,with a vocabulary that is limited to words like khao,jaao,laao,aao.On a lighter note,if you want to laugh aloud,Disha Vakani as the nave and charming Daya ben (Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chasmah) is the quintessential homemaker,for whom 
the home and 
family are the 
centres of her 
world.And then 
theres Muskan 
Mihani who plays 
Mansi in Ring Wrong Ring,a responsible and dutiful bahu.Aashka Goradia is Kalavati,mean and manipulative,shes the only one who can give the protagonist of Laagi Tujhse Lagan,some serious sleepless nights as she wrests an entire empire out of his control and has him reduced to a helpless state.
We quiz actress Pooja Gor who is creating waves and fetching TRPs for her strong portrayal of Pratigya.Pooja confesses that she feels great that I got to start my career with such a strong character. So in real life how well has her character gone down with other women I go to lots of events and women appreciate me for my role.One day a woman came up to me and told me that she also lives in a joint family and goes through the same trauma as I am undergoing and in order to solve her issues she takes inspiration from my character.I was touched. Ask these young girls,how they feel being in the industry that is mainly dominated by women and Binny says,I had started off with a reality show and today I play a prominent role on television.With every passing day I want to do better stuff just to prove to myself that I can do better. 
Disha says I decided to move to Mumbai because it is a city where I would get maximum opportunities.Today,I am very happy doing television. While Muskaans journey in the industry has been a mixed bag of experiences,she says that she doesnt regret the bad ones and has learnt to cherish the good ones. 
So while yet another International Womens Day will draw to an end tomorrow,hopefully the number of Gujarat beauties who woo and wow the hands that hold the remote,will only get bigger over a period of time.
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