'Need to have gender balance in TV shows'

'Need to have gender balance in TV shows'

Small-screen actors Nandish Sandhu and Rashmi Desai Sandhu get talking to Ritika Arora on the changes in their lives after marriage and the new trends of Indian TV industry

She may have failed to win his heart on- screen but she struck a chord off it almost immediately, eventually marrying him in February this year. Rashmi Desai, who plays Tapasya in the television serial Uttaran, was in the Capital with her husband Nandish (Veer in the same serial) to indulge in some Diwali shopping, especially jewellery. The couple seemed quite excited on being in their favourite city as it is their first after they tied the nuptial knot.

When we caught up with the couple at a jewellery store in a busy marketplace, Rashmi was busy choosing dazzling neckpieces and bangles with Nandish lending her a helping hand. When asked about Diwali celebrations, he said, "We're busy shooting most of the time so we don't get time to shop. Moreover, as this is our first Diwali after marriage, we plan to visit my hometown in Rajasthan to meet my folks as my mother has been insisting we be there to celebrate the festival."

Ask which genre of television shows he likes doing the most, Nandish says, "I've never restricted myself to one but acting has been my first love." Desai, on the other hand, told us she prefers dancing over acting and will never turn down an offer to do a dance show.

That their serial Uttaran has been on air for over two years and has a huge fan base, how much of themselves do they put in the characters to make it more exciting? Both Rashmi and Nandish say in unison, "We keep working hard as entertaining audience is a difficult task."

Like most TV shows, Uttaran too portrays women in a dominant role so don't they think there's the need to correct gender balance and to create space for men? "Of course, there is but then these shows are well accepted not only nationally but internationally too which means audience is liking them. However, there has been a change with interesting serials like Parichay, Bade Acche Lagte Hain, Kuch Toh Log Kahenge... providing a break from the typical saas-bahu shows," feels Nandish.