The bold and beautiful Kamya Punjabi, who is enthralling audience as Preeto in Colors show Shakti- Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki, says that her role has experienced varied emotions in the series.
She shares, “Shakti has changed my life a lot. The journey has been amazing. The character has seen a lot of ups and downs. I played an evil lady, then a caring mother and now a good human being in the show which I am not used to playing on-screen (just kidding). I am honored and blessed that the makers thought I could pull off this role really well. When we were approached for the show, we were not told about the concept of the show. However, we had confidence in the makers, hence agreed for the show. The most important part was that we were replacing the path breaking show Balika Vadhu. There was immense responsibility too on our shoulders.”
Talking about transgenders, she adds, “After being part of Shakti, my respect for them has grown immensely. We have shot with real eunuchs and their stories of struggle are so inspiring. The amount of pain they have is not even compared to half of our problems. They are not treated well on traffic signals and not accepted by the society because they are not like us. One thing I hate the most is that they are the bread earners in their family and are still not treated well.”
She further says,” When my car stops at the traffic signal, they all gather up. I remember when I was very young, there was a eunuch who used to come at our house. I used to get along with her very well. I never treated them badly because I was in good terms with the one who used to come to my place. My mother used to have long conversations with her. I was too young hence I don’t remember a lot. But, I truly believe that they have the powers to bless and curse someone.”
On an end note, she avers, “The show means a lot of Shakti (power) to me. There is so much positivity all around. It is not like a staple saas-bahu drama but a series which has managed to changed a lot of mindsets. I am happy that we have been appreciated and loved by the audience.”
Way to go!