My breaks from work have allowed me to get better roles - Geetanjali Tikekar

Geetanjali Tikekar aka Aparna of Kasautii Zindagii Kay fame is quite excited about her return to TV with Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?...Ek Baar Phir on Star Plus. Talking about her character in the Sphere Origins show, she states, “Anjali is a very challenging character. We are still in the process of fleshing out her contours, as she is neither too sweet nor harsh. It needs to be seen if she remains the stern woman as she is shown now or mellows down depending on audience reaction. The best part of the show is that there are no leads or parallel leads, we all contribute to the narrative.” Ask her about the ratings and she says, “It is still too fresh to say anything. I think ideally we should wait for a month or two before taking a call. The story has great potential and I hope that the audience warms up to it.” Geetanjali who has been around the idiot box world for many years says, she is very lucky to have got different roles. “If you take a look at all my previous shows they have been completely different from the other, beginning with the 180 degree change (white to black) in Kasautii Zindagii Kay, to playing a young mother in Jersey No 10, Tere Liye and now Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon. I think I have been lucky for my breaks which have taken place either due to maternity leave or not getting good offers. But my breaks have been a blessing in disguise for me. The time off has allowed my prior characters to be eased out of public memory, thus enabling me to get something better.” Ask her about the changes which have occurred in TV world over the last few years and she avers, “Things have become much more professional. We now have strict working hours, scripts are also given to us well in advance. Actors also have become much smarter. We now know who the channel head was unlike before where we only knew the production house honchos. We are also much more clued in about ratings. Back then during the Kasautii days, we were only concerned about our cheques.” “On the flip side though with rising competition, large number of shows, the patience of the channels and audience have greatly reduced. If either the show or a character does not connect, you are history in a matter of months. Earlier we would impose ourselves on the audience and the show would drag on for years, but not anymore,” she ends.