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Not many know that Bhagyashree started her career with television. The actor, who is best known for her role as Suman in Sooraj Barjatya’s Maine Pyaar Kiya, starred in a TV show in the early ’80s called Kachchi Dhoop, which was directed by Amol Palekar, her then neighbor. It was Palekar who coaxed her into joining the entertainment business. In a candid telephonic interview, between shots for her new Life Ok show Laut Aao Trisha, Bhagyashree says her motivation for returning to TV in this show is because it’s “50 shades of grey and more”.
Laut Aao Trisha is about an adamant mother who begins a quest to search for her missing daughter. “What really drew me towards the show is the real story and the characters. We all have our good days and bad, but this story is not about typical TV characters who are portrayed in black-andwhite. The circumstances play the villain, much like it is in real life,” says Bhagyashree. She has been shooting for the show for over a month now, and terms it as an “emotional thriller”. The show will rejig her image from her known tag as the girl-next-door. “Of course, people remember me most as Suman, but I believe they also recognise that it has been 25 years since Maine Pyaar Kiya.
My fans do expect a certain solidarity from me in terms of identifiable characters, and that is why I am playing today’s woman,” she adds.
Her easy-going nature is palpable within minutes of the conversation. “So many couples came to me and told me that they got married after watching Maine Pyaar Kiya and I can only hope they are still married,” she says, with a laugh. While we question her further about the switch from films to television, she doesn’t take time to surprise us with her open-mindedness. “I think the line between TV and films is getting increasingly blurred. In the West, famous shows such as Rome are made at a bigger budget than most films, and that content-driven approach is slowly permeating here. It’s probably why apart from me, other actors such as Sonali (Bendre), Padmini (Kolhapure) and even Mr. Bachchan are foraying into television,” she says.
Having spoken earlier about not wanting to play regressive characters on screen, Bhagyashree admits that she is currently enjoying acting full time. “Everyone’s dedication makes you realise the quality of making TV shows has graduated too,” she says. Prod her about her future projects and she is quick to respond that she is open to more work. “I’ve just started acting again, and I am loving it,”
she adds.