Exclusive! Juhi Parmar on her transition to OTT: 'I was asked to take a break from TV'

In Pic: Juhi Parmar

Juhi Parmar is one of the most loved actresses in the television industry. Widely known for her role as Kumkum, Juhi has recently played the role of Neerja Awaasthi in the third season of the much-loved series ‘Yeh Meri Family'. Juhi is someone who has worked in television and then made a switch to OTT after closely observing all the difficulties. In an exclusive interview with midday.com, Juhi talked about the problems actors face while making a switch from TV to OTT, getting typecast, saying yes to 'Yeh Meri Family', and much more.

The actress kicked-off the conversation with why she said yes to playing the role in a series which is already established as a brand in itself. Juhi, while talking to us, shared that she had no reason to say no to the character. "When it was offered to me, season one had already come out because that was based on a totally different family. It was already a brand, and people had loved it. So I was thrilled to know that now they're coming up with a new family and they want me to play the part. And then when they narrated the story and my character to me, it was so interesting," Juhi added.

Juhi Parmar is quite clear about the kind of work she does and while addressing her approach to choosing characters she shared that she wouldn't do something that her daughter and her family can't watch.

From being someone who has proved herself in the world of the television industry to someone who is gaining love for her work in the OTT space, Juhi has come a long way and has had her share of struggles. When asked if it is difficult for TV actors to enter the world of OTT, Juhi replied, "To some extent, yes. People feel that TV actors are overexposed because they are seen on the screen every day."

Further, she recalled her own experience when she was asked to take a break and said, "About two, two and a half years back, there was somebody who was talking to me about OTT. I was like, ‘I would love to do this on OTT, something like this.' And they told me at that time that for that, you need to take a break from TV. I was like, ‘but why?' They said that people who see you every day on their screens need to have a break to see you. They see you in a different character. I don't understand the concept, but yes, I was told that."

Sharing her thoughts on TV actors facing typecasting, Juhi said for television actors, "It is very difficult to break a mold that you fit into. Because if somebody has seen you day in and day out for years, say in my case, seven years, it would be difficult for people to see me in another character immediately. Because you start seeing that actor as that character only. You start relating to that actor as that character, even the name for that matter. So, it is definitely difficult for a television actor to break that mold and it's very easy to get typecast."

Juhi Parmar was most recently seen in Yeh Meri Family season 3. The mini-series is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Videos and Amazon Mini TV.