Swetta tries a different 'bold' role

Television content seems to have finally matured! Swetta Keswani plays a 'different person' in Star One's Siddhanth --- a woman trapped in a man's body and is fighting for her right to inherit her father's property. This is a story that is oft repeated in real life, but unfortunately the media has shied away from themes like these. Perhaps, not anymore. "It's time that television content matures. It is through efforts like these that a difference can be made," says Swetta, who has made a conscious effort to move away from dailies and be part of shows that give her an opportunity to satisfy her creative instincts. Nandini Mittal, the character played by Swetta in the serial is abandoned by her family and she comes back to claim her property, only to see it being denied her. She approaches Siddhanth, played by Pawan Shankar, to fight her case. This story is reminiscent of the life of Bollywood and television actor Bobby Darling, who had to struggle for six years to make society accept her, "I was dis-inherited by my father. I have been called names...hijra, chakka...and what not! The minds of the masses are blocked. But Swetta is indirectly doing the community a great favour by taking up such bold roles. She might not realise it, but it is true," says Bobby, who said that she has now achieved 70% acceptance from people. So what preparations did she do to get into the skin of Nandini Mittal, we ask Swetta, and she says, "I thought about calling up Bobby, she is a good friend, but then I realised that Nandini is not as flamboyant as Bobby, she is subdued and very aware of her being a woman. I really understood the true depth of the character probably when I went out one day and saw this extremely gorgeous lady who made heads turn --- it was then that a friend remarked, 'If only she were a woman', I was shocked, but then it struck me that the woman was more sensuous than the women who accompanied her. I had to adopt her composure to get the character right." Bold themes have recently come into vogue on the big screen, but are still in their nascent stages as far as the telly is concerned. Serials like Zee's Hasratein and Kittie Party as well as Lipstick, Sahara One's Kuch Love Kuch Masti and some others have tried to bring in change, but haven’t been that successful. On the other hand, Astitva, a serial about an older lady marrying a man a lot younger to her, did make inroads into the psyche of the masses. Meanwhile, Siddhanth, produced by BAG is a serial that has always dealt with sensitive issues ---- doping in sports, rape, sexual abuse, child marriage among others. As with the controversial Bollywood flick Girlfriend, the coming episode of Siddhanth is sure to jolt the audience into an awareness of these issues --- issues that one can agree or disagree with, but cannot ignore. Watch out for Swetta in a new avataar in Siddhanth on 19 April at 9:30 pm on Star One.