It has been almost two years since Saumya Tandon aka Anita Vibhuti Narayan Sharma of Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai! Quit the show and the actress says that since then, she has got a chance to do things she missed doing while being a part of a daily soap. “I am pretty relaxed right now. After doing 15-16 years of work in this industry, I have worked in long formats, done shows back-to-back, and gone through this grind. Now there is no desire to be seen every day on screen, but there’s a desire to up my game. I quite like this phase right now because for five-and-a-half-years I was with Bhabhi Ji and there was absolutely no time to do anything. It was very exhausting. Then the pandemic happened and I decided to concentrate on my health, and I travelled. Right now, I am travelling, anchoring for various events and chat shows, and trying out different formats. These short formats are a nice break for me because I was not doing it as much,” says the actress.
The actress says that she was warned about quitting the show, which was one of the most successful TV shows at that time, and her character was widely popular. However, she doesn’t regret her decision. “I don’t miss that show. I keep in touch with everybody from the show because we are like family now.”
Saumya says, “Asif ji, the director and writer of Bhabhi Ji.., we still meet once a month or so and have those mehfils of poetry over which we all bonded. But I don’t miss doing the show... because I think I had done my part.” She adds, “It is a better strategy to take risks and try new things. If you are ambitious and restless for good work, it becomes a little stifling after a bit to keep repeating yourself. There was a point when I realized that I had done everything I could have done in that show. I thought that if I continue, I would be doing it for money and fame, and that is not right for an artist. I have come here to improve and explore. When I decided to quit the show, everyone told me that this was going to be very risky – because what I am trying to get, that may or may not happen, and then I would lose what I have now. I was in a successful position as the show was a hit, and the character was very popular. But I thought it is risky to not take risks. I have never been scared or insecure. If you have to stay in this game for long, you need to adapt and reinvent yourself.”
Saumya has been travelling for events and anchoring projects and she says she is up for signing a new project, most likely on an OTT platform. “I will sign up for something soon, something that is meaty and challenging, maybe in the OTT space. There are a lot of offers, but nothing has really excited me much. When the role is good, the platform is not great, and when the platform is great then they are giving me a small part. I am just waiting for the right project. I also have wanted to get into content production. It is still in its initial stages,” she shares. Saumya played a small role in Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met in the initial days of her career, but she says that is not the kind of role she would take up now. “I think if I would get a role like Roop (in Jab We Met) now, I would not take it up. These small roles keep coming to me and I keep saying no. I really liked the director and the film, so I said yes and it is one of my favorite films, but right now, it is important for me to do a part which suits me as an actor. I can’t do a blink-and-miss role only because it is a superstar film. Now that I am experienced, I am way more assertive and confident,” says Saumya.
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