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Life after Kyunki...
After Savita's death, Apara Mehta joins the cast of Saat Phere
Kunal M Shah
Just when everyone was wondering what Apara Mehta aka Savita of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi would do after her exit from the show, she went ahead and signed Zee TV's Saat Phere where she will be playing an aunt (Kaki) who has returned from the US.
Her character which has negative and humorous shades will make a grand entry on this Friday's episode. The shoot for the same starts today. The producer of the show Sunjoy Waddhwa says, "It's a very vital character which will add twists to the story. Kaki is essentially a negative character which will be funny sometimes. But her character hates Saloni and humiliates her at the slightest provocation."
Apara look will undergo a change. Her look is different from that in Kyunki... She wears bright saris and has a wig in this serial.
"Everybody has been asking me what I am doing next. Frankly, I wanted to keep it in under wraps till the time I start shooting. But I start shooting today so I guess its okay. I always knew that I would never take up anything mediocre. So when they narrated the character to me, I got very excited and agreed."
Was she skeptical about accepting a role with negative shades after playing a character like Savita in Kyunki… "Savita was real, but had shades of black and white. When I did something villainous, audiences would question me about it. When I was shown in good light (when I opposed Tulsi for talking law in her hand by killing Ansh) people questioned me about that too. So, people always thought that my character was grey. Accepting the role of Kaki is not so different then, is it?"
What about the expectations that she has to live up to post-Kyunki? "I was in a similar situation when I finished with Ek Mahal Ho Sapano Ka which ran for 1000 episodes. I never thought that anything bigger would come my way, but Kyunki… happened. Kyunki ... was perhaps one of the biggest shows ever done. I have done about 28,000 episodes on television in my ten years of television and hopefully there are better things awaiting me."
Denying rumours about problems with Smriti Irani or Ekta Kapoor which promoted her exit from the serial, Apara says, "Savita, Mihir, Ba and Tulsi are the mail pillars of Kyunki and if they wanted Tulsi to go behind bars and Mihir to go against Tulsi they needed a huge twist in the plot. Ekta had to get inventive with the script. I have no problems with Balaji and am confident that they will offer me something in the future. As for Smriti, we have been friends for over six years now and I don't believe that she is in any way responsible for getting me out of the show."
Was she flooded with offers after her role in Kyunki…ended? "Offers have been pouring in and I am enjoying this phase. It feels good. I think people never believed that I would actually be out. But for now I am looking forward to Saat Phere," she says.
• I have done about 28,000 episodes on television in my ten years and hopefully there are better things awaiting me
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