A picture of poise
Amarjot Kaur
The ever-so-experimental Indian television has travelled through several eras and so have the actors who have been associated with it for over two decades now. Though most of them conveniently shifted tracks to films, there are some who confirmed their loyalty towards the medium while redefining it; one of those actors - the Pixie of Kitty Party, Soha of Swabhimaan and now DD (Durga Devi) Patel of Jamai Raja — is Achint Kaur, who believes yearning for learning is the only key to survival in the industry.
“You know when I first started my career with Banegi Apni Baat, I could not act at all and I cried when I saw myself on screen because I was reacting to every single thing,” says Achint. “That’s when Tony sat me down and worked on my thoughts and mindset rather than my acting skills. My first lesson in acting was to act without acting,” she adds. Though Achint has come 18 years too long from where she started and has tried her hand in films and theatre, the only difference in the three mediums, according to her is the time span. “Theatre demands spontaneity while in films, one gets much time to slip into the character. In television, there is very little time to get hold of the character you are essaying; so you are not focusing on being good at what you do but only being competent enough,” she shares.
Achint also feels that weekly shows or ‘seasons’ is a good idea to keep the audience glued. “Also, it gives much relief to the daily soap actors, who work round the clock,” she says. As far as the content of the contemporary television shows stands questioned, Achint expresses a certain level of dissatisfaction. “I mean they are all the same these days, except for my show, Jamai Raja, which has a different storyline; it has a jamai instead of a bahu,” she quips. However, Achint finds it really hard to relate with any of the shows being featured on the television. “The television shows in the 90s were very experimental and although they did feature the niche strata of the society, the shows were meaningful, different and very entertaining,” she says.
Considering that Achint looks as stunning as she did eighteen years ago, we take the liberty to ask her about her fitness routine, to which she jokingly responds, “It’s all genetic! I eat a lot and if I don’t exercise, I lose weight! So, I guess I’m naturally blessed.”
amarjot@tribunemail.com
