Devoleena talks about her relationship, why she doesn’t want to do television at this point in her career and more
Devoleena Bhattacharjee aka Gopi bahu was last seen in the reality show Bigg Boss 14 as a proxy for Eijaz Khan. Over the past couple of years, the actress has been trying to break her bahu image by taking up projects in different genres in the online space. In an exclusive interview with Bombay Times, she talks about wanting to explore different projects, how she’s been spending her time and postponing her wedding plans.
In the Bigg Boss 14 house, you revealed that you are dating someone and are planning to get married this year. Is that happening?
Yes, we were planning to get married this year, but have decided to postpone it to next year. I want this pandemic to end, so that I can plan things further. Currently, I am happy in my relationship, but you never know when things change. I want to take time to understand life and various situations. Even though my partner is very understanding and supportive, one never knows what can happen in the future. I am not someone who hides things. Once I decide to get married, I will let everyone know about it.
‘I don't want to reveal who I am dating’
I am not ready to reveal my partner’s name just yet. He is also not comfortable about making his name public since he doesn't belong to the industry. People will start sending him friend requests and following him on social media, which we don’t want at this stage. I prefer to keep my personal life under wraps.
‘I’ve been spending a lot of time with my pets’
I am in Mumbai currently and have avoided going to my hometown Assam because I have my pets here with me and need to take care of them. I can’t leave them alone. I have been spending a lot of time at home and doing some work, too. My days are busy with workouts, taking care of pets, household work and cooking. I’ve also been focusing on myself.
‘I am learning belly dancing and how to make macramé’
I have been learning belly dancing and enjoying it thoroughly. Apart from that, I am also practicing macramé, which is a knotting technique to make wall hangings, planters etc. It's a different feeling when you make something on your own versus something that you buy readymade from a shop. All these things are keeping me busy and entertained.
‘I’m hoping to resume work soon’
I have a number of projects lined up in the web space. All of them have been postponed due to the pandemic, but I’m hoping that post June 15, things open up so that our projects can resume. I hope work starts soon.
‘If there's a role like Maya from Beyhadh or a mature love story like Bade Acche Lagte Hai, I would love to do it’
I have no problem with television because that platform has given me everything. I am known due to TV, but today there is very less scope for an actor on the small screen. TV is very limited and the characters are similar, which doesn't give me the scope of doing something different. The content on OTT is giving me an opportunity to try different characters. If there's a role like Maya from Beyhadh or a mature love story like Bade Acche Lagte Hai, I would love to be part of television. I want to explore my acting abilities because I have that acting ka keeda in me. When I wanted to play a good bahu role, I did Saathiya, but now, I want to do something else.
There are talks about making a Saathiya prequel. Were you approached for that?
I have been a part of Saath Nibhana Saathiya and season 2 of the show so far. No one has approached me for the prequel. Honestly, I have no idea about anything of this sort.