After doing heavy-duty drama on TV, talented actor, Shivani Tomar, is enjoying doing a comedy courtroom web series titled Andha Dhoond Kanoon, for YouTube (Miraj Pictures).
“I am playing a lawyer, Payal Agarwal, who fights cases opposite her husband. She uses her feminine charm to get one step ahead of her husband, Anirudh (Keshav Sadhna). The quirky judge, Rajinder Kumar (Sumir Arora; Gaumukh of Chidiya Ghar fame), completes our trio. It is really interesting playing a lawyer; how much they have to speak, god.”
“It is a refreshing change to come out of the family format”, says Shivani, who started out with Pavitra Rishta, back in 2012. “Personally, I don’t watch TV. I’d rather binge on Netflix and Amazon Plus shows.”
“We plan to have five seasons of three episodes each. I was part of the first and second, and now shooting for the fifth. The premier season is already live on the World Wide Web.”
Looking ahead, while she would be game for more web series, going very bold might be dicey. “Having said that, as actors, we should never foreclose our options. I will first listen to the narration and then decide on my comfort level.”
Ask what went wrong with her last &TV rape survivor show, Mitegi Laxman Rekha, and she says, “To be honest, we all were very shocked, for our ratings which were blamed were not very low, given the lacklustre promotion. Also, let’s face it, the replacement show is not doing any better either. You also need to factor in that we are up against big shows like Bepannah and Kumkum Bhagya. The real truth never comes out; maybe there was some issue between channel and production house.”
Shivani’s TV career so far has not really rocked. First she was not only replaced in a couple of shows (Kasam Tere Pyaar Ki), but her last two shows did not last long (Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 3) as well. Can it be said that you seem to be bedevilled by bad luck? “You can say that, but being a very positive person, I take it in my stride. I have learnt a lot from all this, which will hold me in good stead down the road. Also, what keeps me going is the fact that despite setbacks, which have happened to the best in the business, I keep getting good work, which means that I have the goods. I am confident that very soon, a show that is designed especially for me will come along.”
Looking ahead, apart from positive roles, she would love to do something like Jennifer Winget did in Behayd, where she was not perceived as a vamp due to her past work.