Smita Bansal: I didn’t become an actress to make money

Her innocent smile and girl next-door looks won hearts in 90’s TV hits Amaanat and Sarhadein. Audiences have seen Smita Bansal grow from reel college girl into one of telly’s most loved saas in Balika Vadhu, which she quit recently. Smita, who was in town recently for a play, says, “When I began my acting career, it was just something I was doing to prove a point to my family.”
Smita, who belongs to an affluent Marwari family, didn’t have strong family approval for her starry dreams.“I came to Mumbai hoping to find my feet, so that my family would believe that I could achieve something. My struggle was never for monetary purposes. I was only working so that my family wouldn’t have marry me off. I took up whatever work came my way, just to be seen on television — that way they would think I’m doing something.” Luckily for her, all the work Smita did help her professionally. “I got to play fab characters and that has played an important role in making me who I’m today.”
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From a carefree, ambitious girl, Smita is now a responsible mom. How does she juggle time between acting and being a homemaker? “The makers of Balika Vadhu were extremely supportive and understood that family needs had to be respected. I only took up work when I knew I could handle all my domestic responsibilities.” Of course, it helped to have a spouse who worked in the same industry. Her director husband Ankush Mohla, who currently directs TV show Everest, was with her through it all. “Ankush is not the romantic type, and doesn’t believe in PDAs but he’s been my pillar of strength. He is a hard working professional and a caring husband and father. In the 12 years of our marriage, the maximum time we spent together was when we were doing Nach Baliye.”
Having quit Balika Vadhu, Smita says, “I quit the show when I realized that I couldn’t lend or add anything more to the show. For now, I am happy doing theater and looking after my kids. Acting is something I love doing and be it theatre or television or anything else, you can get through the audience if you enjoy your work.”
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