Sakshi Tanwar returns to face the camera with Sony's Crime Patrol. She talks about her new show, how the newcomers remind her of her past days and who she thinks looks promising among the present lot.

Why did you choose to host this show?
The audiences have given me so much love for all the roles that I've essayed so far, needless to say that of Parvati Bhabhi. This is my way of giving them back a little of what I owe them. This is a platform for me to connect with them.

What can we expect from the show?
This is the third season of Crime Patrol and there has been a good response for the first two seasons. So you can rest assured that the third season will also be a good one. Also, this show focuses more on crime against women, children and senior citizens. So you will get to see more cases dealing with this section of society.

How will you handle the cases as a host?
I won't give any verdict, first and foremost. The way the case is in the police's eyes will be presented by me and Anup (Anup Soni). We will also throw light on the reaction of the victim's family. How they have come to deal with it.

Are you doing this stint to change your onscreen image?
No , it is to reconnect with the audience.

How much did you get involved in the research? Did you meet the victim's families?
Yes, we did get to meet the victim's families. We met a mother who lost her eight year old son to homicide just days after his birthday. We also watch a video introducing the case to us. I guess that's pretty much our contribution towards the research part of it.

However, I would also like to add that no matter what research you do, you will never be able to understand the trauma that the victim's family goes through. It's hard to express someone else's hurt while maintaining the sensitivity as well as neutrality in the presentation of a case.

You enacted a victim on Sony's Bhanwar which also dealt with crime…
Yes, true. I portrayed a victim in Bhanwar in 1999. And now I am hosting a similar show that deals with crime. What can I say? I just feel life has come a full circle for me.

What kind of cases are we talking about, solved, unsolved?
We are dealing with cases at all stages. But not very old ones though. Because, in such cases there already has taken place a lot of media exposure. But basically we focus on cases that make you wonder 'why'. Why the person had to take such an extreme negative route when so many other options were open…

Was there a time when the victim's family refused to talk to you?
Yes, there were. Because they were already bombarded with a lot of media people. And we didn't press them on. We left it at that. But I also experienced families that were more than willing to talk to me because my Parvati Bhabhi image made them feel like I'm one of them. Like they know me since ages. It was a heartening experience (smiles).

In how many angles is a particular case shown?
Any case is shown from the police's point of view, a neutral point of view as well as the victim's point of view. Then we weight several other solutions that the victim could have opted for instead of committing the crime while discussing what factors could have contributed towards pushing him towards a negative route.

Are the cases only from Mumbai?
Most of the cases are from all over India. We have till now, travelled to Delhi and Jaipur apart from Mumbai.

How did the police agree to be so co-operative?
There's nothing to co-operate really. They just had to let a camera guy follow them around.

But didn't they feel apprehensive about not maintaining confidentiality?
There might have been a list of dos and don'ts given to the camera persons. But I am really not aware of that.

Is it a conscious decision to stay away from daily soaps?
Yes it is sort of. Because, I wanted to fiddle with some other things. And I did have a great time doing creative work for Samman- Ek Adhikar. I think this reinvention is a phase every actor should go through.

Are there any newcomers on tube with whom you can empathize?
Most of the present actors remind me of my initial days.

Who do you feel is promising among the present lot?
Ratan Rajput, Veebha Anand and Avika Gor.


Reporter and Author: Susan Jose