E arlier I used to get five mar- riage proposals, now I get about 1500. Who wouldn't want a dumb wife?" says Suchita Trivedi. She portrays the character of the daft Meenakshi, the third daughter-in-law of a large Gujarati household in Baa, Bahoo Aur Baby, the Star Plus weekend show. In the industry for over 13 years, Trivedi says it was the conviction of producers JD Majethia and Aatish Kapadia that she could pull off playing Meenakshi, who cries at the drop of a hat. She doesn't believe in voice modula- tion, talks in a monotonous tone, is duh and often the butt of jokes. The reason Trivedi credits her producers for Meenakshi's suc- cess is not because it's a done thing for actors, but because she was not too keen to play the character. "I had given look tests for every other character but Meenakshi, in the hope that JD and Aatish would give in. But then they were insis- tent that if I wanted to prove my versatility as an actress, I should attempt Meenakshi. "In my earlier serials like Ek Mahlon Ho Sapnon Ka and Kahani Ghar Ghar Kii, I had played dom- inating women. And here was Meenakshi, submissive, who did- n't talk back, who was willing to be walked all over. I guess it was time for me to go on the other side of the fence," she smiles. The gamble paid off as she picked up the best actress trophy in a comic role at this year's Indi- an Television Academy awards. "It was a tough win as the other nominees were Ratna Pathak Shah for Sarabhai V/S Sarabhai, Shweta Kawaatra for Sohni Mahiwal, Rajeshwari Sachdeva for Ji Behenji and Divya Dutta for Shanno Ki Shaadi. "They were all playing title roles. Here I was part of an ensemble cast," she says. Trivedi started her career Cam- pus, followed by Imtihaan, Sailaab, Parampara, Gopaljee, Kalakaar, Ek Mahal Ho Sapnon Ka and Kahani Ghar Ghar Kii. She reminisces laughing, "Every time I acted in an inter-col- legiate play, my dad would slap me. Then I think his hands started aching. He gave up. Today, of course, he is proud of me." Like most TV actors, she laments the lack of good roles; "Where is the choice for actors like me? Either we have to be parents to grown-up children or stand at the sidelines. Not just me but Baa, Bahoo Aur Baby has given all its actors well-etched characters." On other interests, she says, "I have a flair for dressing up others. I also have an eye for accessories."
