MARITAL BLISS - Sonal Sehgal 'Shiuli'

MARITAL BLISS -

You are back after your little break...Tell us all about it. 
Well, Hotel Kingston ended in October, and I had been working non-stop since Jan 2003, with Saara Aakash, Kasauti and Kingston back to back for almost three years, so I decided it was time to take a little breather. But during the three months that I was off the soap circuit, I did a few commercials. So, I was not completely out of touch with acting.

Your marriage happened all of a sudden... 
Naresh and I had plans for marriage, and were seeing each other for a while, but it's just that I am a very private person and keep the media glare away from my personal life so everybody was a bit shocked! Though I must admit, the wedding date was a surprise even for me. He just called me one day and asked 'What are you doing tomorrow?' and I was like, 'Hmmm... nothing much,' so he said 'let's get married then.' And boy, I jumped to that proposition! It was the happiest moment of my life!

How much have you changed after marriage? 
Have I changed after marriage? Well, let me think.... I'm always smiling.

My husband Naresh Kamath is a musician. Together with his brother Paresh, they compose music for ad films, albums and background scores for films. They also have a band called Kailasa with Kailash Kher. Besides acting, I also write lyrics, and had gone to meet Naresh with a singer friend of mine, for whose album they were composing music and one thing led to another, and the rest is history! We are making some good music together now... ha...ha!

What about films? Your first film didn't do well... 
U, Bomsi and Me didn't do well, but that's because it wasn't publicised well. Everybody who saw it thought it was a very good film. And I'll always be proud of my work in that film. But the reality is even a good small budget film can't fight the stars and the mega advertising budgets of the big banners.

Married women seldom make it big in Bollywood... what do you say to that? 
Track record shows that married women seldom make it in Bollywood. But times are changing now, and the good roles are not just the lead roles. There are strong character roles to play for which you need actors. There is a whole new breed of directors/ producers who are purely into making good films, and your work is all that matters. Other credentials take a back seat.

Which are the serials you are doing? 
I'm back with two dailies. There's Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, in which I have a fantastic character called Shiuli. Shiuli is something you haven't seen on TV. She's not Miss Goody, but she's definitely not a vamp! She is a spoilt brat who has yearned for love all her life. She has the riches, but never got a moment's attention from her dad. On the outside she puts up a brash front, inside she's fragile... the rest you watch on TV. My other show is Aaj Ki Filmy Khabar, an anchor-based Bollywood show. I also chat with Bollywood stars on the show, which is a first time for me. I'm having fun.