Shrenu Parikh: Was rash about my decisions in initial days

With hindsight comes objectivity Shrenu Parikh will agree The television actor who has enjoyed a 10year career that is dotted with varied roles can reassess her moves without bias today But it is the present not the past that she is focussed on Her latest offering Maitree a show that revolves around friendship has completed 50 episodes and is all set to take a sixyear leap In a candid chat with midday Parikh talks about why the show stands out for her and her learnings from a decade in showbizEdited excerpts from the interviewMaitree depicts how a friend not a partner can be your soulmate Your takeWe are completing 50 episodes today Maitree is not a typical masala show it depicts a mature friendship and selfless love Your friends never leave your side partners could break up over a conflict or have compatibility issues In friendship the person is accepted with their flaws and your friend circle plays an important role in shaping up your life I feel that friendship is above soulmatesThe show is taking a six year leap CommentThis sixyear leap will bring a lot of twists and turns in the story But what I am most excited about is to start shooting with Bhaweeka Chaudhary All of us missed her because her character was in a comaYou made your OTT debut with the Gujarati show Kshadyantra How do you view the quality of Gujarati contentThe Gujarati entertainment industry is still in its early days Although the good shows donrsquot fare well sometimes there are interesting concepts that are being explored Kshadyantra was a political thriller dramaYou have been a television actor for over a decade Do you feel your potential has not been recognised yetI am grateful for my journey If you donrsquot face failure how will you know the successful phase If you donrsquot go through the downs you wonrsquot enjoy the ups I have seen both and have no regrets It has been a great learning experience I have made a few mistakes but I donrsquot regret them because otherwise the good decisions wouldnrsquot have stood outAlso ReadTaarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah director ropes in the television actress Jayshree SoniWhat are some of your learnings over the yearsIn the initial phase of my career when I didnrsquot have much experience I was a little rash about my decisions I should have had a better understanding about the kind of shows I should be doing I should have taken up roles that were closer to my age then Secondly I took a twoandahalf year break after Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon which is something I shouldnrsquot have done While the industry has been kind to me I feel those are onersquos golden years that shouldnrsquot have been wasted But then again had I been doing a show at that time Ishqbaaaz wouldnrsquot have happened I have no regrets about my choices but I should have reacted betterHow do you go about ensuring that you do not repeat your charactersThere is no assurance about how a story will ultimately shape up Things change as and when a show goes on floor In the initial days we would hear the story narration which would be similar to every show at the time But now I ensure I get a full narration of my character and its arc I choose only after thatAlso ReadKapil Sharmas show was supposed to air on TV for only 3 monthsHas saying no to roles become easier over timeYes but more than that hearing a no has become easier I have experienced not getting the roles I wanted and it can be heartbreaking There are few roles you badly wish to do but things donrsquot always work out You have to accept it move on and give another audition