Beautiful, charming, suave and hard working are qualities that best define Poonam Dhillon. An actress who made heads turn with her debut film Noorie, when she was barely 16, she has always followed her heart. While still at the peak of her career ,she tied the knot with film producer Ashok Thakeria. Though the marriage didn't have a fairy tale ending , she believes it gave her the best role of her life - as mother to two lovely kids, son Anmol and daughter Paloma.

After a hiatus, she faced the camera again for a star-studded serial called Andaaz and then as co-host of The Chust Durusth Show, a women-oriented health show .She is presently acting in Kittie Party, a woman oriented serial which she believes is contemporary and a welcome respite , showing as it does ,women in a different light.

Dhillon is a woman of substance in the true sense. Apart from being an actress, she is computer savvy , has a website to her name (www.poonamdhillon.com), is writing a book based on human relationships and also intends to venture into TV software production .

Excerpts of the interview she gave to Indiantelevision.com's Agnes Sebastian -

How difficult was the transition from Bollywood to the world of television ?
Like every other journey, this one too was eventful . I started my career in movies when I was barely 16 years old. After working for 12 years, I decided to settle down to a blissful married life which lasted for 8 years. After a break, I ventured into television with serials like Andaaz, Chusth Durusth and now Kittie Party. I had a lot of learning and unlearning to do, but I managed and am still in the process of learning the nuances of acting in serials.

What kind of a temperamental adjustment did you have to make for the small screen?
Well, acting in soaps is definitely more difficult than acting in movies.The quantum of work is huge, especially for a daily soap . I cannot see myself acting in two to three dailies at a time . Acting in a serial involves a lot of preparation. For example, I had to get used to the timing of dialogues . I found it rather difficult in the beginning but managed later on. For soaps, we shoot eight to nine scenes a day, whereas in movies if just one scene is shot it is considered quite an achievement. Moreover, they are very particular about punctuality in the television industry and the work schedule is quite grueling.

After my divorce, I realized that we still harbour stereotypical views about marriage in our country --- the man is the breadwinner and wife, the home maker who is always expected to ask him for money even if she's working. Unfortunately, in spite of living together for years, many fail to understand what their partner really wants in life. It's not the big things but the little, insignificant things that destroy a marriage.

Also, my ultimate dream is to have a production house of my own and I am going to work towards it from now on.