Astha Agarwal, who is playing a sweet wife in Star Bharat show, Kya Haal Mr Panchal, is not very gung-ho about web series, like most of her small-screen compatriots. “I am not comfortable with the dare bare avatar the format requires.”
On TV, she would like to return to the vamp genre (Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke and Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani). “I really like the over-the-top costumes and loud make-up that vamps do and especially when they converse with their eyes.”
When asked which bahus dress up so much in daily life, she says, “Well, you have to give us this much creative liberty. And let’s face it, we TV characters are the fashion models of many middle-class housewives; so why unnecessarily rock the boat?”
“One thing that I have learnt doing girl-next-door roles is that the lay public fails to realize that doing a positive character also requires acting skills, which they regard is a walk in the park, which it is certainly not,” says this Gladrags Mrs India 2014 winner.
Interestingly, from the past few episodes, Prathna is not sprouting shuddh tongue-twisting Hindi words anymore. “Now my character is shown to be more spiritual. But by now I have become so attuned to speaking classic lingo that many times the director has to cut the scene saying Astha, normal Hindi please. At first it was very tough, but now it comes pat. Wherever I go, people ask me to say some tongue-twister verses, which they fail to replicate.”
In closing, she says she would not mind doing a daayan and chudail as well, “And having one who speaks in ornamental Hindi should take the cake with the bakery.”