Hemani Chawla: Not everybody can do TV; requires lot of mental, physical strength
Actress Hemani Chawla, who plays the role of Kasturi in Invictus T Mediaworks’ Dabangii: Mulgi Aayi Re Aayi, says that working in a daily soap is far from easy. The actress adds that it’s only her passion to act on screen that helps her get through her hectic day.
“It is true that working in TV can be exhausting. I have worked for three days nonstop, with barely any sleep or food. I can’t speak for others, but I truly love what I do, and maybe that’s the reason it keeps me going. Managing personal life is always a task. Sometimes getting back to reality is tough because your brain and body have given up on you. But the funny story is, when I have a break of more than one day, I also go crazy. I have that feeling of going back on set and doing what I love, which is acting in front of the camera. I guess that’s what keeps me going even today,” she says.
She adds, “Night shoots are no fun because they can affect your sleep cycle completely. The next day, I became like a zombie. I don’t specifically do anything about it. If I am required to do night shifts, I stick to it because I feel I am a very committed actor. For me, sleep, food, and everything else are secondary. Once I am assigned to a project, I make sure I give my blood, sweat, and sleep to it.”
A daily soap means a daily grind, she says, especially in the summers. “Usually, you get more tired because of the heat. There is a lack of motivation sometimes, I am being honest, physically, not mentally. In this season of heat, I try to maintain a healthy and light diet. I eat fruits every morning, avoid the food that comes on set, and try to keep it light because I think the majority of what you face in the entire day depends on your diet. So yes, an apple a day keeps your laziness away.”
The actress adds that people require a lot of resilience to work on TV. “Well, not everybody can do TV. This medium requires a lot of physical and mental strength. Also, there is no proper planning or system when it comes to TV. In films and web series, you know you have to surrender and push yourself for a month or maybe two, but when it comes to TV, due to the lack of planning or having a system, it genuinely gets tough. Also, I complain less because the cheques keep coming in,” she says.
However, there are still some actors who don’t like to be known as TV actors. However, Hemani isn’t one of them. “I guess it is very disrespectful if they judge TV actors or look down upon them. I feel it shows their double standards. TV is a very respectable medium; the reach of TV is almost like films, not comparing the stardom but just the pure reach. And I genuinely feel whatever I have learned from TV and also doing TV is extremely difficult. Keeping others aside, I wear this label like a crown,” she says.
Talking about the best part of working on TV, she says, “I have always been fond of working in TV. I have seen some actors complaining about getting out of TV and moving into films, but I am the opposite. I want to do TV my entire life. Firstly, there is a constant connection with your audience daily. Secondly, it gave me a lot of financial stability. And thirdly, there is less uncertainty compared to films and web shows.”
