Rukmini is not sensuous like Rupa: Jaya Binju

The television protagonist has moved on from a 100-acre bungalow and settled in the rural homes. She’s now a minor bride, dark-skinned bumpkin or the poor farmer’s daughter sold off to the landlord. There’s an addition to this list as for the first time a TV show will have a scar-faced protagonist. Such a character was first immortalized by the sexy Zeenat Aman in the 1978 film Satyam Shivam Sundaram. Three decades later unheralded actress Jaya Binju is left to play a scar-faced Rukmini in Sahara One show Kesariya balam aavo hamare des. The girl though stresses that barring the scar there’s not much similarity between Rukmini and Rupa. In this exclusive, Binju talks about her character, Zeenat Aman and more. Read on. How’s it living the life of a scar faced for the most part of the day? (Giggles) Honestly speaking it’s an amazing feeling. Amazing! Most girls love to have clean faces. I’m not particular about the look. After all, it’s the character that matters more. It’s unique a character. What was your first reaction when you were offered this character? I liked the story and the character. I asked myself if I had a scar in real life how would I then react. Besides any other thing, I had full faith in Ajaiji (Sinha). He always comes up with wonderful scripts. How did your family and your boyfriend react to your new look? They’re pretty cool with it. In fact, my fiancé jokes that the scar should be stretched more for it to look bright. Does this patch have any side effects? No. We use the same solution that’s used for putting on moustaches. It’s a permanent patch which sticks easily. It very comfortable and doesn’t have any side effects. Is it difficult to shoot in such a get- up and in rural locales? On the contrary, it’s been an enjoyable experience. It’s the first time I’m playing a village girl and shooting in such locales. It took a while to get the knack of the Rajasthani language but thereafter it’s been a smooth going for us. We’ve shot the initial episodes in Rajasthan and now we are shooting in Mumbai. Your character and the plot appears to be have been inspired from the yesteryear film Satyam Shivam Sundaram. It’s common for TV shows to take inspiration from films but don’t you think one should now move away from it? Yes, this happens in TV but often it’s just one aspect of the film that’s utilised and not the whole film. Unlike the film, here the show isn’t about two characters only. There are other actors and they have their parallel tracks. The film ended with the tale of two characters meeting but Kesariya balam.. will show life after that. Have you watched Satyam Shivam Sundaram and did you observe Rupa’s (Zeenat Aman) mannerisms? I don’t even remember the film as I’d seen it as child. There’s no question of Rukmini’s manners being same as that of Rupa. Rukmini is a Rajasthani and girls out there have their own mannerisms. Rupa was shown as a sensuous girl but Rukmini is no way near that. Rukmini may not be sensuous but doesn’t she sing ala Rupa at temples? Rukmini is not a singer who people would stop by and listen to. Rupa was a Shiv devout while Rukmini worships Kanha (Lord Krishna). She only sings when she’s feels lonely. Finally, what are your expectations from this show? Are you confident that it will work? My only expectation is to live up and do justice to my character. This role demands a lot from you. I’ve put in a lot of effort. Hopefully, the audience will appreciate it.