I feel that there is a child in me: Renuka Israni

A mother’s job is never easy- especially if you have three kids in the contemporary times. The same goes for the character Shipra Sharma of Sony TV’s Bade Achhe Lagte Hain (Balaji Telefilms). The creatives have chalked out every role very realistically and that includes Shipra, of course. Instead of showing her as a perfect mother, she has been shown as a mom who has been loving and caring but has faltered at times. Nevertheless, she has learnt from her mistakes to improve upon her motherhood skills. Tellychakkar.com called up the beautiful Renuka Israni who essays Shipra’s role. We asked her how her journey with the show has been? “I have greatly enjoyed playing this character. It is of many shades. I was told that I was to play a hyper and over-protective mom. I was briefed that my character was to be sentimental albeit practical. Shipra was a former Miss Bhubaneshwar and hence was very conscious about her looks. She is a multi-tasker who breaks all her chores in fragments and executes them simultaneously- she may stir a pot in the kitchen, open the door and then return to cooking.” We weren’t the least bit surprised when she told us that viewers felt that her character was very relatable. “People often come up to me and tell me that they are reminded of their mom on seeing Shipra.” We then ask the obvious question about she having pampered her youngest daughter Ayesha. “Of course Shipra has spoiled her but she is trying to rectify her mistake now. Also, in every family the youngest child is often spoiled. She after all gets an overdose of affection and spends more time with her parents. The parents as well as the older siblings are generally over-protective of the youngest one.” When the conversation meanders to Shipra’s role as a mother-in-law she says, “As Natasha (Sumona Chakravarti) was from an affluent family, she was initially worried as to how she would adjust with her middle class family. She had shown some negativity then, which however didn’t make her a vamp. After all a girl from a rich family will dress differently and want more lavish meals.” This talented lady worked on her character keeping in sync with the vision of the creatives. “I carefully observed characters like Shipra. I was complimented by the creative team for the way I had beautifully added on to this character without getting into any creative conflict whatsoever. The creatives anyway have done a great job on the characterisation.” Shipra like any couple has had disagreements with her husband. “Her husband Sudhir Sharma (Prithvi Sankla) did have fights with her as he was very old fashioned in his thoughts. She explained to her husband that he should be more practical instead. Never ever did they consider divorcing because of their differences of opinion. When her husband was ailing, she took meticulous care of him.” However, Shipra does have her insecurities. After all she has just done her schooling and hasn’t pursued higher studies. Her English could have been better. “At a socialite party, she does to try to conceal her middle class background and lack of education.” Shipra is a caring grandma, this is quite evident. “Of course, Shipra loves kids. She bonds well with both Pihu (Amrita Mukherji) and Khush (Neev Ritesh Jain). In real life I love kids. In fact I feel that there is a child in me.” So, how does she think that the TV industry has changed since she starred as Gandhari in Doordarshan’s Mahabharat? “Now, we all have to work at a faster speed. We don’t work on our diction and dialogue as much as we used to. In the yesteryears, the actors didn’t interact with journalists and fans so freely. Now, actors participate in dance shows- that didn’t happen previously. Sometimes the grand sets camouflage the actors’ personalities. There are stock images of good and bad daughters-in-law. Indeed they are made to wear the same kind of makeup and clothes. In our times, actors weren’t made to wear heavy makeup. People could identify with characters in a serial more easily. Nevertheless, there have been conducive improvements over the years too.” It was indeed a pleasure to have a chat with this beautiful and elegant veteran actress.