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People love to hate her but they dare not ignore her. As the shrewd and conniving Kamolika of Kasautii Zindagi Kay, Urvashi Dholakia is offering serious competition to negative characters currently ruling the small screen. With a string of serials to her credit - , Dekh Bhai Dekh, Zamana Badal Gaya, Mehndi Tere Naam Ki, Kabhi Souten Kabhi Saheli and the recent Kasutii Zindagi Kii to her credit, Urvashi is fast coming one of the most identified faces in the industry. Besides bankable looks the lady has an attitude to match ; she is also quick to proclaim that she is a complete misfit in this 'double faced ' industry. Her sojourn in telly land began officially when she was just 14 with Dekh Bhai Dekh. Now , at 24 ,she claims she is ready to perform any character that she wants to. She walks in with an unmistakable dancer's gait that speaks of her long training as a Bharatnatyam dancer, on the sets of a lavish Balaji serial , where she agreed to speak in between shots with indiantelevision's Trupti Ghag. |
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Despite your young age, you have been around for a long time in the television indstry? |
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Was the screen your only learning ground or did you attend any acting classes? |
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| Do you regret not attending acting classes? No, I think I turned out just fine. |
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| How was it acting with a huge star cast in Dekh Bhai Dekh? If you are talking in terms of experience, it was great. It was shot on foreign locales, the camera technique used was very novel too. I was quite happy with the exposure and publicity. As Sanju's girlfriend Shilpa, I must have been mentioned in most of the earlier episodes so by the time I was introduced in the 17th episode, viewers were pretty curious to know me. I was the surprise element of the sitcom. |
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| What acting method do you adopt while enacting a scene? Do you go by the script? Script comes second, it's always the character that comes first. I need a precise brief about the character I am playing. I then get into the psyche of the character and plainly narrate the lines. It sounds quite easy but then I need two to three days to get into the skin of the character. |
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| Are you are a director's actor? I am more of an intuitive actor. |
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| How was your role as Kamolika arranged? I was acting in Kabhie Souten Kabhi Saheli, a Balaji production during the time when Ektaa Kapoor was scouting for new talent. I entered her cabin and she called me Kamolika. That was about it. She then etched out the entire character for me. It seemed like an interesting role so I agreed to do Kasautii Zindagi Kay. |
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| What is your favourite character till date? That will be the character of 'Pooja' I played in Mehndi Tere Naam Kii. It showcases all possible shades of a character, right from a bubbly carefree teenager who transforms into an ambitious go-getter to a rebel and finally metamorphoses into a mature woman. |
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What went into the role of Kamolika? |
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| It seems like you are opting only for serials made by Balaji Telefilms? Is there any specific reason for this? Not at all. I would love to act under a different banner but I haven't got any good offers. At Balaji, when I sign up for a character, I am assured of a fair deal. They have faith in me and I share the same feeling. They have given me roles where I can perform. |
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| Your roles range from an innocent teenager to a vamp. How did this transition come about? Smooth sailing so far. The only thing that I am afraid of is being typecast, to an extent I think I already am. |
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| Does that mean you are not too happy with your role in 'Kasautii...' ? Don't get me wrong, I think Kasautii.... did wonders for me. In fact, I can say that many people recognised me as a good actress after Kasautii...But I cannot Identify with that character, there is so much to me than Kamolika. I just want to present that to people. |
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| The character of Kamolika is currently sharing a platform with that of Menaka in 'Kasautii...'. Do you feel threatened? Of course not. Kamolika is a strong character. She may be shrewd but she is certainly not stupid and plus, she has already established herself. I think it should be other way round. |
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What do you think about the 'saas-bahu' serials on air? |
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| I don't see people relating to the characters in the soaps. Isn't it time that these serials pave a way for something more realistic? I don't see why. Despite being period dramas, Mahabharata and Ramayana are very popular on television. All the current soaps are loved by the audience. As long as they accept it, I see no reason to change. As for the niche audiences, there are other serials on air to suit their tastes. |
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| What projects are you working on in the near future? I am contracted for two years with Balaji Telefilms. Besides Kasautii, they have also signed me for a new serial Kahani Teri Meri, in which I play a catty girl 'Kajol'. This again revolves around a Bengali affluent family but the storyline is completely different from Kasautii... |
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| Is there a crossover to Bollywood on the cards? No, I think Bollywood is not yet ready for good talent (Laughs) . Seriously speaking, I think the film industry has a mind block. It is not willing to accept actors from television yet. |
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"At Balaji, I am assured of a fair deal"
