Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is one of the most popular and loved shows on television today. From engaging audiences for over a decade to continuing to be one of the longest-running series, the family drama has become the cult comedy of the small screen. One of the things that makes Taarak Mehta a unique and entertaining show is its star cast. Each of the show’s characters has their distinctive qualities because of which they are being loved by the viewers for a long time.
One such character from the show is Rita Reporter, played by Priya Ahuja Rajda. In an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, the actress revealed that Disha Vakani who plays Daya Ben in the show is completely the opposite of how her character is shown in TMKOC. The actress who is currently embracing motherhood also opened up about how she balances work and personal life. She talked about the experience of sharing the screen with veteran TV and film actor Dilip Joshi aka Jethalal Gada.
The actress says it is challenging to be a mother. “It’s the most challenging role I’ve ever played. Even if you are upset, you are happy or whatever mood you are in, but you have to change that for your child. So, you have to do what your child wants – You’re literally living for someone else – at least 80 per cent of your life. For someone like me, who is extremely independent, I’m juggling.”
On being asked about the lead star Disha Vakani aka Daya Ben, and the experience of working with her, Priya said, “She is an extremely beautiful person and she is completely opposite from how her character is shown in TMKOC. She is very peaceful in her real life, and whenever she talks we have to listen to her very carefully to understand what she is saying. She is a very daily soap kind of a bahu in real life. She is a very ideal person.”
Talking about Dilip Joshi, she said, “He is very nice. You can learn from him each time he performs a scene. I feel he is extremely down to earth. I have heard about a lot of TV actors who come on sets, and they show attitude, but Dilip Ji is not like that. Even if I go less or more to the sets, he is really sweet and kind to me. Even if there is a small scene, he doesn’t show that he is the Dilip Joshi and he is the lead. He proactively goes and complements a person, if he finds his or her act nice.”
As TMKOC is a long-running series, various changes have been made to it to showcase different timelines. Priya also opened up about the changes made in the show, during the course of the last 3 years. She said, “There’ve been little changes – the Tapu Sena has been extended, and they don’t do the ‘masti’ like previous days – it’s just that my character used to appear more frequently on screen. They are playing the character as per their age. I’m extremely and completely grateful for the show because this is one of the most popular characters I’ve played. I also take my director from home.”
When asked how she manages to strike a balance between work and personal life, the Shubh Vivah actress responded, “I always say that I’m very blessed that (Manav) director of TMKOC is from the same industry and we all know how the industry works. Somewhere I feel, he is learning very beautifully that his mom and dad are going for shoots, however, I’m not going for shoots for 30 days and I’m still trying to find a show which is worth leaving my child at home. Manav and I make sure that we give our 100 per cent. There are times when he calls and I don’t answer it. I make sure that I don’t take calls at certain hours. When I am with Adras (kid) my phone will not be received, whenever I’m around him.”
On being asked about the kind of work she is looking at, Priya said, “I would like to do something which will make a difference in the storyline, something which will make a difference in a show – if I’m doing a daily soap. It should be worth leaving my heart (son) at home. I should have fun performing the show.”
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