Actress Asha Negi, who is seen playing the role of Ambika in the new series Honeymoon Photographer streaming on Jio Cinema, spoke exclusively with Money Control about her time when she started as a TV actress and how she thought her career was over when her two shows went off air in a month’s time.
Asha Negi was seen in Pavitra Rishta
Actress Asha Negi, who is seen playing the role of Ambika in the new series Honeymoon Photographer streaming on Jio Cinema, spoke exclusively with Money Control about her time when she started as a TV actress and how she thought her career was over when her two shows went off air in a month’s time.
Asha Negi made her debut as Madhura in Sapnon Se Bhare Naina, and she became a household name after playing the role of Purvi in Pavitra Rishta.
After Pavitra Rishta, Asha took part in many reality shows and was next seen in Ek Mutthi Aasmaan and Kuch Toh Hai Tere Mere Darmiyaan. But her show shut down in a month’s time, and Asha said she got worried thinking that ‘it was time to pack her bags and go back to her home town.’
But destiny had other plans, and the actress said during that brief period, she gave herself some time and attended acting workshops to hone her skills.
“Honestly, I didn’t plan to switch to OTT because after Pavitra Rishta, I did a couple of reality shows, and after that, I did a few reality shows, then Aik Muthi Asman, and one more show, which did not work well. They got shut in one month’s time, and that’s when you get worried, Oh God, is it time or should I pack my bags to my hometown? Then I gave myself some time, and I told myself that now I am not going to hurry. Because since we were working in TV and we were so habitual of working all the time and doing what was coming our way to keep myself busy. Then I thought I couldn’t do that; I would have to give myself some time. While I am going to give myself time, let me work on my acting skills. Also, I watched a lot of international cinema, and then I took a lot of workshops for my acting,” she told MoneyControl.
Asha
This is when Baarish came her way, which is also streaming on Jio Cinema. Asha said her shift to OTT wasn’t planned, but it kept coming, and there was no reason to say no.
“After that, I remember Baarish was offered to me. When Baarish was offered a beautiful story with Sharman Joshi, I thought that I should start working again. There was no reason I could say no to that project; it was a beautiful project. That happened; it wasn’t planned at all. Then Abhay, Ludo, and Collar Bone kept coming, and it started working,” she said.
When asked if TV actors have faced rejections for being from the medium, Asha said: “Yes, yes, people don’t say this on your face that you are a TV actor, but they also reject you because of that (being a TV actor). I mean, it is ok. I don’t have any regrets about it because of this if somebody calls me for an audition and I don’t have to stand in a line, and I am not waiting because I have achieved this position in the industry through TV. So I’m also very thankful for what I have achieved and what I have received.”
Asha also recalled the time when she first came to the city and how naive she was in the initial years of her stay in Mumbai.
Asha said people would take her for granted and treat her like sh*t in the initial years of her career.
“When I had come initially, I was extremely naive and stupid, and I remember I did not know where to face the camera. So, when you don’t know that and you just, like, enter a show, this was one show that I did even let me click my first show, even before Pavitra Rishta. I think it was called Sapnon Se Bhare Naina. I did that, and I remember people would take me for granted. They don’t give you the opportunity because they think a character artist has come who doesn’t even know how to say one line without forgetting or fumbling and has become an actress. People would take me for granted, and people would treat me like shit. So that’s how it started. And, yeah, I would say I’ve come a long way, and the world has changed for me in a good way,” she told us.
It is a known fact that TV actors have to put in long hours, at times more than even 24 hours at work. Asha recalled there was a time when she had to work almost 36 hours at a stretch in order to avail three days of leave.
“We slogged in TV. I remember there was this one time I had taken 3-4 days off, and teen char din ka off kya maang liya bhai, because I had to go for an event in the US, and for that I had to work continuously for 32 or 34 hours. And I remember I did not go back home, and I was shooting for rain sequences. I was taking a shower on the set only. I was not getting proper sleep as I was doing night scenes as well. I was tired. Tabiyat kharab ho kuch bhi ho you have to work, so after that I thought ab main TV nahi karoongi. I thought I was done with all the mehnat mazdoori,” Asha added.
The actress said working on OTT meant the project ends every three months and there is ease at work.
“I think the good part about OTT is that the project here is done in, like, 2, 3 months, 3, 4 months max. And it also becomes very creatively satisfying. Right? If you’re doing, like, a new character or a new story, then once that is done, you take a little break, or if you don’t want, it’s okay. You just go ahead with another character, another project. That is a lot of fun. You don’t have to go and do the same thing every day,” said Asha.
Talking about Asha Negi, she has done many hit TV shows like Pavitra Rishta, Khatron Ke Khiladi 6, and Nach Baliye 6. She later made a switch to OTT and was seen in Baarish with Sharman Joshi, Ludo, and Collar Bone.