Cruising where the excitement lies

In an exclusive conversation with The Pioneer, veteran actress Himani Shivpuri gets candid about the message behind her recently released teleplay Rishton ka Live Telecast, her love for acting, does age really matters for an artist to get work, and much more.

Tejal Sinha

Every time that we see veteran actress Himani Shivpuri on-screen, she’s always defined perfectionism. Hitherto, no matter the type of character that she plays on-screen, she has made her own mark.

Not only has she been a big name in Bollywood, but also in Hindi soap operas. Her films include Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), Raja (1995), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Khamoshi (1996), Hero No. 1 (1997), Deewana Mastana (1997), Bandhan (1998), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Biwi No.1 (1999), Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999), and Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003).

She is currently also seen playing the character of Katori “Katto” Amma in &Tv’s show Happu Ki Ultan Paltan. Apart from this, she was recently seen in Rishton Ka Live Telecast, where she plays the character of a mother and a wife who everybody takes for granted. She perhaps had many dreams but had to give up on them, got married and dedicated her life to her family. Now, as her children are grown up, her husband has also been busy and nobody really gives her any importance. Her tragedy is possibly the story of many homemakers, whose unpaid labour is never appreciated. It’s only in the end that she has an outburst and everyone is shaken.

The show has a very strong message, and every Indian family would relate to this. She says, “We need to be together as a family not just for the sake of appearances, but as a unit where everyone respects and appreciates one another, shares each other’s problems, and really communicates openly.” It was the beauty of the character and getting to work with an amazing cast, was what made the veteran actor say a ‘yes’ to the teleplay.

A lesser-known fact about her is that she completed her education from a whole different background, but the theatre was something that she’s always enjoyed doing. She goes on to say, “I always acted in school and college even though I was studying to be a scientist. The time I spent in labs and lecture rooms, was so uninspiring that the two hours that I spent doing theatre seemed far more fulfilling and exciting. In the end, I chose excitement over everything else.”

We might sometimes wonder, an actor’s life is a complete lavish and a chill-pill fun life. But that’s not how it actually is They’ve got their own struggles and hard days. And, so did even Himani who had her own tough days, especially after the demise of her husband. There was a time in her life, when she had thought to quit her acting career, and it was definitely a very tough phase in her life. Even after all the hardships, there’s only one thing that she has to say, which is, “That’s the beauty of the profession that the struggle never ends. Each role that you do and each new commitment is a new challenge.”

Having worked for years in the industry, we wondered, does age really matter for an artist to get work, she says, “Obviously! For a woman, age really matters, but I think slowly change is taking place for the better so let’s hope for the best.”

On the work front, the connoisseur has two interesting projects lined up; Dukaan, and Binny and Baba. Apart from this, she is also enjoying to entertain her fans and the audience, with her character of ‘Katori Amma’ in Happu ki Ultan Paltan.