Born and brought up in an academically inclined family, this Doon School alumnus bagged a US scholarship for an Organic Chemistry major in the 1980s. She could have earned laurels in the field of chemistry, but instead chose to follow her passion. Chemistry’s loss was the art world’s gain. Call it the 3 idiots effect youngsters today get inspired to follow their passion after taking motivation from films. However, when you ask Himani Shivpuri about what drove her to defy tradition and turn her dreams to reality, she nonchalantly replies, “Movies are Movies, but real inspiration comes from within you. In a small town like Doon, nobody expect you to make bold choices and in my time, a career in the entertainment field was looked down upon. I was lucky my parents supported me as I took the plunge into acting though it took a lot of convincing.”
She played the lead in the famous Hindi play “Mitro Marjaani”. She was well-loved as the “Devaki Bhaujayi” in the TV series “Hum Rahi” and as the quirky ‘Bua’ in DDLJ. I ask her how different each medium is from the other and pat comes the reply “Theatre Is my first love as it is an actor’s medium. Scripts are the heroes in TV shows today. Theatre allows you the time required to get into the skin of the character.” With a wry smile, she quips “TV actors today have become bonded labour. If you forget to sign on the call time register, you miss your daily wage.” She goes on to comment on the vanishing creativity and the compromise on quality that we see on television today, owing to deadlines and telecast issues. “Everyone is rushed to follow schedules. It s a run against time which puts everyone in a no win situation.” Her little-known film Debut was ‘Ab Aayega Mazaa’, but her first commercial success HAHK was what made her a household name.
Child actors earning as much as professional’s such as her seem to be ruling prime time. Does this phenomenon bother her? Her light-hearted demeanor is suddenly replaced by a look of grave concern as she puts her thoughts together on this issue “I am not very happy to know that kids these days are working full time away from school. Childhood is the only time you are carefree. It is a time for learning, not for earning. Whether a child is working on a set or begging on a street, he is still deprived of a normal childhood. “
Just as the conversation gets more engaging and candid, she is again beckoned to do her shot. My mind is swarming with a million things to ask her, but I only have time for one question. Her lengthy stint in acting has given her opportunity for diversity, but I want to know which character has been the most challenging to play till date. She thoughtfully replies, “Even the character of an aunt or a bhabhi is a challenge to play differently in different movies. The ‘bua’ of HAHK was different from the ‘bua’ of Pardes.” I probe her more for specifics and she gives in “The prostitute in ‘Prem Grant’ was perhaps the role that demanded the most from me as a performer as I had to reveal in the film which I was a little reluctant about.”
She jokes that her name should be in the Guinness book of world records for playing bua in so many films and shows.
I leave the vanity van of an actor who resides in the hearts of people not just as a serial typical Indian aunt but so much more.
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