This role is bold and unconventional : Tina Parakh

Tina Parakh who came as a whiff of fresh in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii with her role as Shruti began her career as a model and slowly moved on to the small screen. Though the beautiful Tina has had no formal training in acting her work in serials like Dollar Bahu, Astitva, Kehta Hai Dil, Khichdi, Mansha, Kahaani Terri Merri, Khichdi was much appreciated. Tina She was also one of the contestants on the dance reality show Kabhi kabhi yaar kabhi kabhi pyaar where she was paired with her reel life partner Karanvir Bohra and his wife Teejay. She is married to Vikram Hazra, a musician whom she met during an Art of Living session. Currently Tina plays a HIV + girl in the long running Kyunki… Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai on DD. In an informal chat wit TellyChakkar Tina gets talking on the show and why it has been a source of inspiration for her. Tell us a little bit about your role in Kyunki jeena issi ka naam hai? My character, Kiran, plays the love interest of Hiralal, the teacher in the school. This is the first time that the audience gets to really learn something about Masterji’s past and that is where I come in. Kiran is a very positive character and one who is determined to live her life to the fullest. Because of some unfortunate incident, she gets infected with HIV and gets AIDS. Of course she is initially shattered but later understands what her condition really is. She doesn’t get defeated but instead comes back to Hiralal to explain her condition. Kiran is so admirable because she shows others how they can live a full life even if they are HIV positive. The bottom line is that it is possible to have a normal and successful life as long as one remains positive. How different is it from the roles that you have done before? Very different. Kiran’s character is much stronger and more positive than other characters that I have played. It is not often that you get to play a character who is not going to survive but is still going through life positively and brightly. I personally really like the character of Kiran because we get to see her transformation and her attitude towards life is amazing. In fact, she is very different from any usual character that you would see on TV. Playing the role of an HIV+ person can be considered quite bold, so what was your feeling about the role when you were approached for it? What made you decide to do this role? Yes, I guess this role could be considered bold or unconventional. But it is people like us who are educated and know about HIV/AIDS who need to step up and spread awareness. Others who are not aware of this disease might back out because they feel that its too controversial a role to play but once you know what HIV/AIDS is really about there is no reason to be hesitant. In fact that is exactly what my character, Kiran, also tries to convey in the serial. So when I was approached with this role I was actually quite excited and saw it as an opportunity for me to take up the cause and do my bit to spread awareness about the issue. How important do you feel social messaging is for an entertainment serial? In a country like ours, social messaging in entertainment is a must. The fact of the matter is that those who are correctly aware of social issues are only the educated classes while the masses still don’t have access to that kind of information. At the same time, the masses can be reached through the medium of entertainment, be it movies or serials or anything else. So it is essential that India has a serial like Kyunki… that takes up social issues and tries to simplify things in a way that makes it is easier for everyone to understand. So if we take the example of HIV/AIDS, what Kyunki… is trying to do is put awareness about this condition into a story that anyone can relate to, even those who do not know anything about HIV/AIDS. By doing this the common man can understand that an HIV positive person is not someone to be scared of or to avoid. At the same time there is messaging about what preventive measures can be taken so that one doesn’t get this virus. So yes, as those who are educated it is our responsibility to share what we know with those who don’t and in this situation using a serial to do it is an excellent method.