JOIN USThe serial Sasural Simar Ka has been enjoying an uninterrupted television run for over five years now, and the face of the serial, Dipika Kakar, has been playing the female lead all through.
Dipika did begin her acting career in 2010 by starring in Neer Bhare Tere Naina Devi, a show about a girl who brings good luck to her religious family. But before that, she has had a career as an air hostess, and admits that becoming one was her childhood dream. “I think the fascination was due to the uniform. I loved the idea of wearing sarees to work. But I ended up working with airlines where air hostesses wore only skirts! But working with the cabin crew on flights was amazing. If you take the training seriously, it grooms you as a person; it makes you independent and strong,” she says.
However, flying did not work out for her due to health reasons. “The artificial ambience did not suit me, so after four years of flying, I quit. Then, a good friend suggested that I should give television a shot, and my mother, always hopeful that I would get into acting someday, was also keen. We were in Mumbai at that time, so I had my portfolio done, and sent it across.” She adds that this got her a call from Shakuntalam Telefilms, which eventually got her break. “That was around eight months after I started auditioning! It was Dimpy Sinha who gave me my first break.”
After her first role as the lead went off air, Dipika was cast in Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, and then Simar happened. She says she was happy to play the title role. “Sasural Simar Ka undoubtedly has been a turning point in my career, and in my life. I owe my fame and what I’m today to it. It gives me a proud feeling because my hard work has paid off.”
Dipika has been seen as a contestant on season 7 of the celebrity dance show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, and says, for her, it has been a learning experience. Although Dipika is a person who loves dancing, she had never had the opportunity to be trained formally, until then. “I learnt a lot. Physically it was stressful. I would spend 12 hours in shooting, then rehearse, and get back on the sets the next day.”
Away from work, Dipika loves cooking and exploring her creative side. “I like to draw and paint, or revamp my old outfits and do up my house. So I go home-decor shopping often.”
She is also active on the social media and says that it has become important for everybody, and actors especially. “We get a chance to chat one-on-one with our fans. We get appreciation and also criticism. And when celebrities react to social causes on such platforms, fans take it seriously. It makes a difference.”
The actor says that she does not worry too much about her furtue, and is currently completely invested in Sasural Simar Ka. “There is nothing else because when I’m here, I’m completely here.”