Sonarika Bhadoria aka Parvati from Devon Ke Dev Mahadev recently visited Lucknow. Last seen on the TV show Ishq Mein Marjawan, the actress says she has consciously taken a break from TV and is now focusing on films and OTT. Sonarika made her film debut with Saansein in 2016 which didn’t do well at the box office, and the actress seemed quite excited about her second film, which was released recently. “In terms of films, this is definitely a second inning for me because when Saansein happened, at the same time, the announcement of demonetization broke out and our movie lost its significance in the public eye. However, this time there is so much optimism and excitement. Life has been good on both the fronts, personal as well as professional.”
Sonarika Bhadoria (BCCL/ @Aditya Yadav/BCCL)
On being asked about whether she has taken a break from TV, the actress said, “At the beginning of the career, you don’t get to make choices and have to be open to whatever comes your way. Though I’ve enjoyed every part of it, Mahadev... brought me a divergence in my perspective with the realization of my preferences related to work. What I realized was that neither do I enjoy watching the repetitive saas-bahu sagas on TV nor would I like being a part of it as an actress and that would definitely not bring me joy. After all, every love story on television eventually comes down to the same saas-bahu drama.”
She adds, “Being able to play larger-than-life characters such as Anarkali in Dastaan-E-Mohabbat Salim Anarkali or being a part of a magnum opus show like Prithvi Vallabh - Itihaas Bhi, Rahasya Bhi, is what I believe can make me shine bright and do wonders. But only a handful of shows could be found that have a very nice slice of life and are thoroughly enjoyed. To sum up, I’ve consciously taken a break from TV and have not quit, after all, it’s my bread and butter and it is what that’s got me here. I’m looking forward to getting back at it if something really exciting shows up. Until then I’m completely focused on doing films and I’ve recently made my OTT debut.”
While speaking about her experience working on OTT and how it can be distinguished from regular TV drama, Sonarika shared, “Since I have done TV for so long and have inculcated a filter within me, however, this experience of acting in a web series allowed me to showcase my true self on camera. In terms of costumes, mannerisms and makeup, everything was just so raw, like we had no makeup look which really intrigued me. I guess that’s how both differ from one another and OTT shows have really taken over the entertainment industry. If I talk about myself, my family members, and other people around me, it’s been so long since any of us have watched TV or discussed it. Especially, in the pandemic era, no one really talks about it like in earlier times. Now the Indian content on OTT is so good that even though it has been somewhat westernized, shows like Kota Factory, Panchayat, Mirzapur and Masaba Masaba really come out to be so strong with their narration of indigenous stories. On the other hand, on TV, out of 100 percent, 98 percent of content still remains to be regressive and only two percent of shows shine through with the message they hold but eventually, they have also stopped screening. If there is consumer demand, these shows have an audience whose demands are being catered to by the TV show makers. Jab tak woh maang rahegi, tab tak cheeze bikegi.”
Sonarika Bhadoria with beau Vikas (BCCL/ @bsonarika)
About recently getting engaged to her businessman-turned-producer fiance Vikas Parashar and further plans for marriage, the actress shared, “I have no plans of marriage as of now. We both are focusing on our careers. Vikas has recently started his own production house so we are currently taking narrations, finalizing scripts and taking that ahead. He wants me to focus on my career because he thinks that this is a high point for me in my career. He is so understanding and it’s been eight long years since we’ve been together. Even though it has been an on-off relationship, the comfort and ease just make it so easy. Especially after the proposal, things have taken a U-turn and I feel we both are new people. Now the insecurities have faded away and on the contrary, we both provide each other with the freedom to be happy in our own spaces. After the proposal, we both now have security in our lives and know that we belong together and it’s us against the world.”
Speaking about her wedding dreams, she said, “Since I have married so many times on-screen, now it makes both of us want a really intimate wedding but not like the one Alia-Ranbir had. Actually, we both come from really different backgrounds. While I have grown up in Mumbai all my life, he belongs to Faridabad with a big fat North-Indian family due to which our guest list is quite wider than theirs. However, marriage is not on our cards or minds for the next two years. Even though my family believes in following conventional ways and wants us to get ‘rokafied’, we both are happy with what we have now and waiting for the right time to get married.”
- Snigdha Agarwal
