Sriti Jha: A rare show where my character isn’t shy

There are those who go outside their comfort zone Then there are those who thrive in comfort Sriti Jha belongs to the latter category and has no qualms in admitting that she seeks comfort in her roles The actor was part of Kumkum Bhagya for seven years before calling it quits Now she is returning to television after two years with a new show Kaise Mujhe Tum Mil Gaye opposite close friend Arjit Taneja In a chat with midday she talks about her novel character in a notsonovel plot the ease of longrunning shows and why she hasnrsquot transitioned to OTT yetEdited excerpts from the interviewMost love stories on television are between a rich man and a middleclass woman Why canrsquot they be from the same financial strataThat story too has been told a few times Take Pavitra Rishta for example The lead characters belonged to the same financial and social backgrounds However I think itrsquos interesting to have both economic backgrounds in a story The creative teams probably want to show that despite the disparity the leads are culturally similarBut the men are always shown as rich not the women Wouldnrsquot it be interesting to see a switchLaughs The intention is to reach out to more female audiences So they can show that she has more struggles with lesser money and lesser opportunities Eventually the makers can show a bigger victory If you have a lot of money itrsquos already a victory The shows are catering to women so you have to show her as the hero I love doing it because Irsquom the heroHow did you prep for Kaise Mujhe Tum Mil GayeHomework is always essential But for this I only read the script thoroughly I cannot go to the set without knowing my character I donrsquot improvise initially Wersquove shot exactly for a month When I become comfortable with the character is when I can improvise In the start I base it on the script and Irsquom nervous about doing too much or too little That is when directors help me outWhile most shows boast about bringing forth a new story ultimately they have the usual tropes How does this character differ from the ones yoursquove played beforeAfter shooting 11 episodes Irsquove realised this is probably my second show where I have not been shy In the first one Jyoti my character had split personality disorder Here she is not shy and claims her qualities If someone compliments her she says lsquoI am the best at this jobrsquo Irsquom not like her at all When she goes to meet prospective grooms she doesnrsquot pretend to be submissive She has conversations about not changing last names lightly Itrsquos nicely done without making it too heavyWhatrsquos your take on showsmdashshould they be finite or longrunningExcept for Kumkum Bhagya no other show of mine has run for more than a year I could say that Irsquod like shows to only run for a year but logistically it doesnrsquot work for the channel or the producer It takes a year to set the mood and tone The longer the show runs the more the producer creates a base I know of shows that were supposed to be finite but they have run for years because they have worked so well No channel or producer would want to shut a successful showWhen you were part of a longrunning show at what point did you say this is enoughI canrsquot believe this has such a negative connotation but Irsquom a comfortseeking person Plus since we shot every day we became like a family Itwas far too comfortable for me to complain about it It may not be challenging but itrsquos not easyWhy havenrsquot we seen you in web shows considering you are known for your acting skillsI have been called for tests I have auditioned for several good parts but theyrsquove not materialised But I have to wait it out I donrsquot think it is because of any prejudice against television actors as many have managed to successfully make that transition I see the respect they have for my work as an actor