I love scuba diving and have dived 200 times so far - Sadiya Siddiqui

Over the years, the very talented Sadiya Siddiqui, who is currently seen as Thakurain Malal Rani in Colors’ Rangrasiya, has essayed some remarkable characters. Though she is enjoying her role in her current show, she still thinks that her portrayals in Balika Vadhu and Saat Phere were the best. “I am enjoying this role, but the roles of teacherji in Balika Vadhu and also that of Gayatri in Saat Phere stand out when it comes to the performance level. I specially loved Gayatri, also because she was a widow and never uttered a word. Without mouthing any dialogues, I had to express her emotions. I enjoyed this part thoroughly,” she stated. In Rangrasiya, she plays the mother of a grown up man (Ashish Sharma). Hence, we asked her if she’d be open to such roles in future too. She quipped, “I was shocked when I learnt about Ashish playing my son (laughs).” On a serious note she went on to add, “I was told that I’d be playing a mother to a 17 year old and I was fine with it. But Ashish came into the picture when I reached our sets in Rajasthan. I did not know how to react, for I had not shot with the entire team. If I had refused to do the role then, the shoot would have been stopped. Hence I went ahead with it.” Are you still upset about that fact? “I have some wonderful scenes with my husband essayed by Tarun (Khanna) and I think I am enjoying doing those scenes,” she answered. There is also some romance. “Since Tarun is a gentleman, hence romancing him on-screen has been easy,” confirmed the lady. Sadiya has been carrying some beautiful saris on the show. Hence we asked her if she likes wearing saris in real life too. She answered, “Yes, I do wear saris in real life but they aren’t the heavy kind of saris; I wear earthy cotton ones. I like the tribal look more with silver jewellery and jute bags. I am not too fond of denims; they are for people who don’t have time. I also like wearing Rajasthani skirts.” For the uninitiated, Sadiya is a Kathak dancer and a well-known theatre personality. She is also a certified scuba diver and an adventure junkie. Here’s a look at the adventurous side of her. “I am a wildlife photographer for I love nature. In fact, I love studying the body language of animals. And cats are my favourite. That is also why I had 25 cats at my place at some point of time, but had to give them away as my mom did not want any. But now I have one and her name is Munnia,” she informed. “I love scuba diving and have dived 200 times so far. And trust me I have some real interesting stories related to it where I encountered the scariest underwater creatures. I’ve crossed one reef to the other; also lived in a ship for 15 days. The last I did was a shark dive. Here you are put in a cage with sharks around you. I’ve also done sky diving. Next adventure is mountain climbing for me.” Wow!!! Who ever thought Sadiya was such an adventure junkie! We think we like you a little more now, Sadiya (wink).