Veteran actress Sadiya Siddiqui, who is playing an important negative role in Star Plus show Tu Sooraj Main Saanjh Piyaji, laments the fact that today’s TV grammar is badly affected by the number game.
“No one wants to go beyond the tried and tested. You can’t hide saying that this is what audiences want (unnecessary drama etc). You also need to offer variation. Mind you, I am not saying don’t make money, but please balance it with creative output. You just can’t only make moolah,” says the talented actress.
Talking about her role in the above show she says, “I always make it a point to be subtle, you don’t need to scream to get your meanness through. I am glad that people love to hate Nanda “Maasisaa”(character name), which means I am doing a good job. Besides this role, I am also the voice over (narrator of the popular Sony TV show Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai. People are surprised at seeing my different avatars.”
Sadiya, who has been around in TV space for last many years being part of shows like Banegi Apni Baat where she essayed the role of a college girl, says, “One big difference between then and today is that back then also we showed thing (my brattish character) but it was done with grace and respect, there was no resorting to below the belt dialogues. Today you are ready to show anything for ratings. Television is going through flux, a lot of youth is moving away to web. ”
But is web content also not full of s*x and swear? “I have not seen desi web but I have heard that lot of it is. Ideally, when you get freedom, you should exercise it with lot of responsibility.”
Point out that maybe this new trend reflects changing social mores and she says, “Well, there is no issue talking about s*x and relationship, but it should be done keeping in mind our cultural values. Being modern is not enough, what is more important is having a progressive approach. For example, good to allow your teenage daughter to go to a disc, but you also need to make sure to know who her friends are.”
We then ask her about today’s lot of young actors and she opines, “Sadly, most of them are not really trained. They have no knowledge of classics which is very important for an actor. There is not proper creative yardstick to become an actor, you just need to look good and remember your lines… period. They don’t even understand the technical aspects of the trade, like if I tell someone to lower the pitch of his/his voice base, they will not know what I am talking about. Neither are their pronunciations right.”
Well, we wish her success in her show.