“It is going to be one big acting school experience for me”, said Bhakti Rathod as Urmila in Sony SAB’s Bhakharwadi

·         What is the concept of Bhakharwadi?

Bhakharwadi is a metaphor. I was very happy on hearing this title, as it is very quirky and not mainstream. So, I am also thankful to the channel that they agreed to this title. When you see the show, you will slowly understand how this title is justified. Also, Bhakharwadi represents two cultures very prominently – Marathi and Gujarati and we showcase these two communities in our show. These two communities and states used to be one at a point of time and even today, some words in both of these languages are similar just like their culture. I myself am a Gujarati and recently got married into a Marathi family. So, while planning the wedding, we decided to club the rituals and to our surprise, the rituals were already same, with same meanings.

Although similar, these two communities have a cold war of sorts going on and we aim to portray that in a light hearted and comic manner. The biggest duty of entertainment industry is to show mirror to the society, while entertaining them. And I believe Bhakharwadi, as a show, has achieved this already. While shooting for the initial few episodes itself, I understood we will be able to convey a lot of topics to the society while making them laugh.

·         Can you tell something about your character, Urmila Thakkar?

I loved Urmila as a character a lot. Firstly because it is a very strong character and I am a person who believes that women should be strong but also vulnerable; and this makes her adorable. Urmila is a combination of strong, smart and vulnerable at the same time. Although full of Gujarati flavor, she is not dumb and; she is a character and not a caricature. She is a mother not only to a girl but also to a dog and is madly in love with her husband. I would like to tell that in Gujarati families, the romance between husband and wife in front of their children, is very open and it’s the same way in Bhakharwadi.

Urmila like showing off whether it is something she has worn or her husband kissing her. So, this character has a lot of spice in it, giving a lot of scope to play with it. This character has been beautifully created with all the essence of a Gujarati women and this is the reason it is my favourite character from the entire show. The character brings out a feeling of purity in her. 

·         How has the experience been shooting on the set of Bhakharwadi?

It has been tremendous. As a spectator, I have been a huge fan of ‘Hatsoff Productions’. They always come up with very different kind of comedies. They create characters instead of caricatures and even if they create caricatures, they make them so believable. Apart from this, they bring concepts that are out of the box. Now that I am a part of this team, I know that they deliver such amazing shows because the cast actually becomes a family on the set. Though we haven’t shot many scenes together but we all already share such beautiful bond and chemistry. Hatsoff productions selects such a cast that is very good in nature and hence, this translates amazingly on screen. I personally, am a very lazy person in terms of getting up early in the morning but these days, I am super excited to get up early and be on the set. We all have our private jokes, we complement each other and help each other to do better.

The most amazing part of this show is the person playing my husband, Paresh Ganatra. He is such a fantabulous actor, with no ego and always ready to help anyone and everyone. So, as an actor I am getting to learn a lot and this family on the set is just amazing, from the spot dada to the senior actors. The set has actually become like a second home.

·         What made you take up this role?

Firstly, the fact that I was a huge fan of Hatsoff production to the extent that I would talk like their characters. When offered a role, I usually consider whether that role offered is substantial or not. As actors we are always in search of roles where we will be batting, in terms of expression. We want to act, express and make people feel things. With Hatsoff Productions, they use expressions in bulk and I was excited for that.

Secondly, when I came to know that I will be starring opposite Paresh Ganatra, I instantly felt I want to do it as it was going to be one big acting school experience for me.

Thirdly, I have been doing regular theatre lately and JD sir and Aatish sir had seen my work and hence, I had the trust that whatever role they offer me will be according to my caliber or beyond it.

Then, I came to know that it is for Sony SAB. The channel has grown to a large extent in the past few years as it is the channel that has been going on constantly in people’s houses. This revamp has made it the channel you want to work for. Also, the kind of shows they are coming up with are very different. They have made their mark and you feel dignified to be associated with a channel like Sony SAB.

·         What are your expectations from the show? What will the audience like in the show?

The audience is going to love this bouquet of actors in Bhakharwadi. I have worked with them and they are some great actors from theatre or similar areas. It is very difficult to get such talented and strong bunch of actors together like Krunal Pandit, Jayesh More and others as well. The characters in this show are going to leave an impression in the hearts of the viewers as all of them are written very nicely. Also, people will relate to every little element in the show, due to the cultural conflict portrayed. So, this show is going to look like a heavy jewellery with beautiful detailing and I have great expectations from it.

·         Are there any similarities between you in real life and your character on the show?

Yes, a lot of them! First and foremost, she is very clever but in a very innocent way. Secondly, she is very romantic by nature just like me. Even though she takes everyone’s case, she is very pure and that is the reason I relate a lot to Urmila.