Often, actors have to face challenges in scenes or while portraying the overall graph of their characters, which makes their job as interesting as it’s difficult. But that’s what makes it engaging to watch for the audience. In Indian television, we have seen a young woman in her 20s playing a mother to a toddler. But there are a rare few who have taken the risk of playing a mother to a guy about her age. Sneha Wagh, who is currently seen in Kahat Hanuman Jai Shri Ram, has been there and done that already. BollywoodLife.com recently got in touch with the actress for a little chat and very fondly and patiently, she spoke to us about her characters and her shows and what makes her tick as an actress. Also Read – ‘It’s like making a Sholay,’ Sneha Wagh on why ‘Jyoti’ is relevant even after a decade [Exclusive]
We made Sneha recall her character of Ratanjeet Sampooran Singh from the TV show, Ek Veer Ki Ardaas Veera. Boasts about the character, she said, “She is a very strong character,” while emphasizing on the word strong. We asked what attracts her to such strong characters, and pat came the reply, “One thing I do understand is where I am right now. I have a platform where I can convey a very nice and simple message that women are not weak in any way. I feel that I can use this platform for spreading this message.” Also Read – ‘I am not scared of it,’ says Sneha Wagh as she resumes shooting for Kahat Hanuman Jai Shri Ram [Exclusive]
“Secondly, I don’t know why, I have always been the choice for stronger characters. When they need a powerful actor for a show or an anchor of the story, I have been grateful that they have called me out for such roles. – a role that is very powerful. And I believe in inspiring than just entertaining. The ratio of inspiring is more than entertaining.” Also Read – International Day of Families 2020: Sneha Wagh, Tanvi Dogra and others reveal their special moments with their family members
Since Sneha played a mother to both a young kid and a grownup of her age, we asked her if she was scared of aging on screen so soon? “When I took up the show, I was hardly 23 or 24 years old. They had a 5-year kid and the story was so beautiful that I did not want to let go of the opportunity and I did it. The same writer (as that of Jyoti, her Hindi TV debut) had written the story. So, he called me and told me, “I want you to do this,” and I was like, “Are you sure?” He was like, “Yeah…yeah…yeah, I want you to do this.“ I said, “Okay fine.” And I read this beautiful story. It ran for one or one and half year with the kid, but when the kid was growing up, I thought it was just another phase of the show, you know.”
Then came the moment of realisation for which Sneha was not at all ready. “But when I saw them, they were actually my age. Shivin is my age and I was like, “Really?” I couldn’t believe it. For two or two and a half hours, I think, I stayed in the vanity van, trying to absorb what is happening. They did not disturb me, they did not ask me to come on sets. They said, let her take her time. But then, eventually, I realized that I have to go and shoot this. I was in complete denial mode. But I don’t know how I got over it. They told me, at least you are making a better product. But when it went on air, it was then that people started asking why was she playing a mother’s role to a guy her age and all those things.”
Sneha Wagh opened up on her phase after playing mother to Shivin Narang in Ek Veer Ki Ardaas Veera. “It created kind of an image around me. I was sulking. After Veera, people started offering me roles of a mother to a 40-year-old or 30-year-old, and I was like, “What is wrong, people? What is wrong with our industry? They were not even thinking that she doesn’t look that old. They were calling me for older characters. I was into a very bad phase at that time.”
However, Sneha like her character, is one strong individual. She picked up and carved her own niche in the industry. “But I overcame it, and I decided, if they want me to play a mother, then let me play a mother. And I chose so many different shades, that you can’t even cite one that’s similar to other. So, all my characters are different from each other and so colourful that nobody could even touch my hand in that. I was like, you want me to play a mother, I will play a mother, but to a younger kid with a different genre of the show. I never did the same thing. I went on and on and on and they had to accept what I want to do and not what they wanted me to do.”
When asked whether she still gets offered roles as a mother, Sneha, on a lighter note said, “Eventually, the age of the kid is getting lesser and lesser. So, now I am playing a mother to a 5-year-old.” Sneha currently, plays Mata Anjana in Kahat Hanuman Jai Shri Ram.
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