Thaindian News

By Radhika Bhirani
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) After playing mother and wife, popular actress Supriya Pilgaonkar wants to play an adulteress on screen, but says it doesn’t seem possible because of the limited roles offered to women her age.

“Everyone wants to make a character of my age a mother. There’s no experimentation. I would love to play a detective or an adulteress, but who will give it? Not on the small screen and not even in films,” Supriya, who has been acting for 25 years, told IANS.

“I am not even talking about playing the lead roles differently - but in every show or film, there are many characters. Still we are not given any different roles than a mother. Actually, the problem is very few people want to see a change and very few people have the courage to present it. Roles for us are very limited,” she rued.

The 52-year-old, who was in the capital Thursday for the launch of her new show on STAR Plus, “Sasural Genda Phool”, says TV content is highly driven by viewers’ demand.

“I have been lucky to choose my roles, but still I feel that everybody is doing what the viewers want. They see only what the viewers want; it’s not balanced. TV is becoming one-sided entertainment : whatever people like, give them that - that’s every channel’s mantra.

“But to build their sensibilities, we should give the viewers something extra. I feel channels should attempt something different and people need to respond to it to encourage channels to keep trying things instead of following one set pattern,” she said.

Supriya, who is married to actor-director Sachin Pilgaonkar, has been earlier seen in serials like “Tu Tu Main Main”, “Kadvee Khattee Meethi” and “Radha Ki Betiyaan Kuch Kar Dikhaayengi”. Supriya has also done films like “Awara Paagal Deewana” and “Aetbaar”.

In “Sasural Genda Phool”, which focuses on the modern Indian bahu, she plays “badi maa” - a character who stays at her in-laws’ house even though her husband stays away. Supriya feels the show breaks away from the regressive portrayal of women on screen.

“A lot of shows have been regressive in between. I did ‘Tu Tu Main Main’ and it was very successful - it portrayed today’s bahu. After that, the characters started becoming regressive. Now we are trying to bring the modern bahu back to the screen,” she said.

The actress will be seen on the big screen in “Jaane Kahaan Se Aayi Hai” as Riteish Deshmukh’s mother. The film is being produced by Nikhil Advani and directed by Milap Zaveri.