One of the longest running sitcoms of Indian television,
Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah
(
TMKOC
), welcomed
Palak Sidhwani
as the new Sonu Bhide last year (2019). The young actress has successfully managed to fit into the character of Sonu and even the audiences have accepted her with open arms. Palak in no time has developed a close bond with all the Taarak Mehta... actors, but she is very close to her on-screen parents played by
Mandar Chandwadkar
and
Sonalika Joshi
. In fact, just like her onscreen character, Palak calls them ‘Aai Baba’ in real-life too. In an exclusive conversation with ETimes TV, the actress shared she misses shooting with them the most during this lockdown period.
“I am missing them terribly. Even the fans are saying that they are missing the new episodes, but I would like to tell them that we are missing shooting. We used to spend 12 hours of our day on the sets and with the lockdown it is not happening and we are at home. But thanks to Whatsapp, video calls, messages, I am in touch with everyone. I am missing Aai and Baba a lot. I spoke to Aai (Sonalika) on Mother's Day and I also keep talking to Baba (Mandar). I always chat with Azar, Samay and others from Tapu Sena," said the actress.
The actress revealed that she addresses her onscreen parents Sonalika Joshi and Mandar Chandwadkar as 'Aai-Baba', "Yes, I call them Aai-Baba in real-life too. In fact, a lot of people tell me that why do you address them that way in real-life as well. Also, we three have got used to it and I like calling them Aai-Baba. They know that I won't call them Mandar sir, uncle or Sonalika ma'am or aunty. I have never called them by their name," shared the actress.
Talking about her bond with Sonalika Joshi, the actress said, "Yes, she treats me like her daughter and we instantly got along from the moment I met them during the mock shoot of the show. There were three girls on the mock shoot day and we shot for the first scene and was sitting and waiting for the next scene to begin. During the break I showed her my advertisements that I had done and there was no awkwardness that I was sitting with such a popular and senior artist. She made me comfortable and was extremely warm towards me. Same goes Baba (Mandar) they both are very cooperative when we have scenes together. They help, guide and motivate me a lot. I think I am very lucky that I met them and got them as my co-stars and as my Aai-baba. I get to learn a lot from them and I enjoy shooting with them."