A decade later

Amandeep Sidhu

It has taken the makers of Dil Se Di Dua... Saubhagyavati Bhava almost a decade to reimagine the story and come back with a fitting sequel. With Dheeraj Dhoopar's casanova and manipulative character falling in love with Amandeep Sidhu's Siya - a girl next door - we cannot stop reminiscing about Sriti Jha from the first edition. "Siya makes her family and husband her priorities. She is simple and sensitive. Jhanvi [Jha's character from the first instalment] was a woman from our society 10 years ago. She was submissive, dependent, and always suppressed her feelings, but our society has evolved since then.

Siya is a new-age independent woman who is vocal about her feelings, knows to take a stand, and knows to differentiate between good and bad," explains Sidhu. She adds that as the story progresses, the character will evolve, like Jhanvi did. "Jhanvi and Siya share one common trait: they are both emotional." The challenge of playing a different character is what pushed Sidhu, who was previously seen in Teri Meri Ikk Jindri and Choti Sarrdaar, to take up Saubhagyavati Bhava: Niyam Aur Shartein Laagu. "I used to watch the show; look where destiny got me," smiles the actor.

She believes that most women would relate to her character. Sidhu hopes that the show inspires victims of domestic abuse to take a stand and report the crime. "In a survey we conducted, we learned that 70 per cent of women are [still] victims of domestic violence. They chose not to complain out of love for the family. Women are now aware of their rights and what is good for them. They are financially independent. They should raise their voice against the brutalities and injustices and take a stand for themselves," asserts the actor.