I’m in no hurry to be successful: Chhavi Pandey

Perky and petite prime time star Chhavi Pandey seemed overwhelmed with the warmth and affection she received from Amdavadis when she was in town recently for a promotional tour. “It’s nice to be here. I have heard about bandhni sarees and salwar suits and I’d love to pick up some. Due to time constraint I might not to be able to shop this time,” she says ruefully.Excerpts from an interview:
How different is your reel character from what you are off screen? I play the role of Tara in Ek Boond Ishq, a character that’s diametrically opposite to what I am in real life. I play a bubbly, bold and bindass girl — it’s quite challenging for me. When I first heard about the character, my reaction was ‘Oh my god’, I am not at all like Tara. But as an actor I know I have to mould myself.
How is it working with Viraf Phiroz Patel and Vishwajeet Pradhan? Viraf is a sweet guy, while Vishwajeet is an amazing guy off screen. People have different opinion about Vishwajeet because of the kind of characters he plays, but he is very chilled out in real life. It’s great to work with both.
Today, one gets to see a mix of concepts and storylines on TV shows, which wasn’t the case earlier. Audiences look for fresh concept/content when it comes to entertainment television. My show is not your typical saas-bahu story, it’s quite an interesting plot line. On Hindi entertainment television, story lines are undergoing changes because the audience wants something new all the time. People get bored with the same kind of story line and concepts. Even Bollywood is experimenting with newer story lines, then why can’t TV shows do the same?
Now that you’re doing a daily soap what it does it feel like? Two of your daily shows didn’t take off we hear? I did a pilot shoot for a show, but it never took off. I had almost been finalised for another show, but that got delayed. I recently did an episodic in Teri Meri Love Stories with Karan Wahi. I like to stay positive because I believe positivity works wonders for one’s morale. I am glad about my current telly outing. As someone who has no connection with showbiz and is from Patna, I am happy with the kind of reception/feedback I get from my fans during promotional trips.
You are just a one-show wonder, and we’ve heard you want to do a Bollywood film already? It’s good to dream big. Everyone wants to move ahead in their lives. These days a lot of TV actors are doing films, then why not me? I want to work hard and gradually move ahead in my career. I am in no hurry to be successful.
Do you feel you had to struggle because you have no connection in the industry? It helps to know someone from the industry, but unless you are talented and worthy, no amount of nepotism can help you get work. Personally, I’ve never been treated like an outsider.
Why did you decide to move from singing to acting? I had participated in India’s Got Talent-1 and after that I got an offer from a Patna-based local channel. I was excited and soon after my debut film’s success I realised I should move to Mumbai and explore the Hindi entertainment industry. I want to do good roles, the medium doesn’t matter.