MUMBAI: Popular actor Achint Kaur says with time she has often changed her mindset and evolved as an actor to stay relevant.
Moving from weekly to daily soaps, Achint said for her it was initially difficult to find her footing in the television industry.
She has been part of shows like “Banegi Apni Baat”, “Swabhimaan”, “Saaya”, “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi”, “Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii”, “Jamai Raja” and others.
“I am from the weekly era where the content was very intelligent. Then when daily soaps came in, it took me a year to understand how will I fit in. In TV I got lost (initially). During the weekly era, no one would offer me negative parts when I watched daily soaps I never saw myself fit into positive roles. I got to experiment with daily soaps.
“As actors, we get into our comfort zone and don’t push ourselves and then we start seeing the negative in the outside world but the fear is within us. I have realised this and put an end to this. I have always got good roles to play that have been impactful be it positive or negative or grey,” Achint said.
The actor said as an artiste she makes sure to learn about her craft as much as possible.
“I am with the time, I change myself, I work on myself. I keep changing my performance abilities, I keep working on them. I take a lot of workshops. I do a lot of theatre to learn how to perform differently.”
The noted actor also has been part of films like “Om Jai Jagdish”, “Guzaarish”, “2 States” and “Kalank” among others.
She is thankful to filmmakers for giving her the opportunity to present herself in a different avatar on the big screen.
“Till date, people think they can only offer me a western character, I am stuck on that. Then ‘2 States’, ‘Kalank’ happened I am glad they (makers) saw me as a performer and not as Achint. These things will also keep happening,” she adds.
According to Achint, the entertainment industry has become more acceptable towards older actors then it was during her initial days in television.
“Roles are not changing but times are changing. There is work for every age group, every genre, for everybody because now canvas is large and you cater to a lot of people. Earlier people would not write for 60-year-old but today there are.
“Today with content available on mobile, laptop, there is no boundary. Times are changing. I am confident that I can be ambitious now,” she added.
The 41-year-old actor, who has been part of the industry for 25 years, said she is always looking for something that serves her creative hunger.
“There is no destination as to what I want to play next if there is then I will again have to look for something that is new and different every time. Every day is a new path and I want to capture it as much as we can. I am clear, monotony is not what I want.”
The hugely popular Zee TV show “Jamai Raja” starring Ravi Dubey, Nia Sharma and Achint in lead roles is back with season 2 – “Jamai 2.0” but it will now stream online on OTT platform ZEE5 from September 10.
“It (web) is a brilliant platform, we can experiment a lot. The canvas is huge here. I want to do a lot of web. I am hungry. I am pushing for web, meeting people and calling people.”
Talking about “Jamai 2.0”, Achint said, “There is no connection between the TV and web show. Only the word ‘Jamai’ is the same, the perspective is different. It is not a quintessential type. It (‘Jamai 2.0’) is a thriller, there are a lot of sub-plots, there is a lot of layering, there is realism and honesty.”
In the show, the actor plays the role of a businesswoman, who is shrewd, opportunist. (agencies)