Exclusive - Apara Mehta: I remember because of the popularity of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Sanjay Leela Bhansali offered me a role in Devdas

Veteran actress Apara Mehta has been working in the world of Television, films and theatre for the longest time. She is one of the rare actors who still gets offered substantial parts in television shows. The actress, who is best remembered for her character of Savita in the iconic show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, recently returned to television in a cameo role in Indiawaali Maa.
Apara has also played remarkable roles in shows like Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, Saat Phere, Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo, Hamari Saas Leela amongst others.In an exclusive interview with ETimes TV, Apara took a trip down memory lane and spoke about her popularity post Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and how the daily soap dominated the TRP charts and her bond with her on-screen daughter-in-law, Smriti Irani. Excerpts
What made you say yes to the show, Indiawaali Maa?
I have been in the industry for such a long time for donkeys years absolutely. This is my 32nd daily soap and I have done all long running, popular ones, short ones, cameos and everything. I took a break in 2019 and was doing a Gujarati play. When I started getting offers from TV the lockdown happened. I had a great time during the lockdown. I got to relax and take some rest as I was busy working for 25 years. I stayed at home and got to know the corners of my house. I started cooking, cleaning again. When the lockdown got relaxed, I got the offer of Indiawaali Maa and immediately said yes to the role as it was a cameo. When it is a cameo role, you work for a limited period of time. I am working with Sucheta Trivedi after a long time. We did a show together Ek Mahal Ho Sapna Ka from 1995 to 2006. So, it was great to work with her once again. She is a dear friend and I am loving working with her.

How difficult has it been to convince yourself to get back to shoots during pandemic?
During the pandemic more than me, my family did not want me to step out and work. But then somewhere we have to step out and start working. I am also doing a web show for which I am shooting in Delhi and for which I am very scared. And I am such a professional that I know if I fall ill and get quarantined, producers are going to suffer. Forget about my suffering but the other people will face a difficult time. It is a scary situation, but the production houses make sure that rooms, chairs, makeup equipment and everything is sanitised. The makeup people wear PPE kits but with Covid you don’t know how and when you will get infected. It is a very risky situation but one has to work.
You have been part of the television industry for such a long time. What changes do you notice?
There are a lot of changes in the television industry and I have been a part of the change. Technically, cameras, lightings everything has changed. The major change was brought about by Ekta Kapoor and Kyunki Saas Abhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She completely changed everything and gave a glamorous look to TV. So, television became like films and it was no less than it. I’ve been a part of that entire journey. I worked when Indian makeup was used and today everything is very different. Technically everything has changed. The reach obviously, we know has increased. Another thing is that TV has more powerful roles and it is woman centric. So, if I get offered a film I will think 10 times before doing it as it won’t offer me what I am getting on TV. Content wise I feel it was better earlier and now it is mostly repetitive. Television became big because of Kyunki... and KBC (Kaun Banega Crorepati). One has to admit and accept this fact. Incidentally, my TV show Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka was the first daily which had Sucheta and me. It was the first daily on a satellite channel. I have done a show called Dillagi also. I’ve been around since a very long and been a part of history. So, when I look back and think oh what it was then and what it is now, I definitely see a lot of difference.
The shelf of actors of today's time is less as compared to actors from your time. What according to you is that they lack?
Earlier, only actors from Mumbai would do television but now people from all over India are doing television. Most of them feel that acting is very easy. Whereas it is not. If you have to survive in this line for a long period, you have to be an actor from within. I believe that God does not give Art to everyone. It is given to a chosen few. If I am one of them I thank God everyday for it. I thank my Gujarati theatre from where I got my training. I love being on stage and I feel it is my training ground. And I feel it is my moral duty to do the right things in life. You have to be morally also correct. You can’t be doing anything in your personal life and say it’s fine. If God has gifted you with this art. I have often heard people saying 'arre badnaam hue toh Kya hua naam toh hua'... but I don’t agree with it. There are so many people who look up to you. I always feel when you are an actor and are on stage, you are 10 feet above the audience and they are looking up to you, so you should behave accordingly. God gives art to a chosen few. So, you can't say I will act on camera but will do anything in my personal life. We have made several sacrifices. There has been a time in my life when I’ve seen my family sleeping. When I would leave the home and I used to return, they would be sleeping again. There was a time when my daughter was in class 10th and I had not given dates but the circumstances were such that I had to shoot. I would go and drop her at the examination centre and then the other entire shoot was shifted near her examination centre so that I could go and pick her after exams. So, we have done all that.

Today TV actors are paid well, how was it back then and how much has things changed on the sets?
Recently, I was talking to Sucheta about the simpler days of Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka. They were easy days though we were working very hard and we had no money. We used to get peanuts. Honestly, if I reveal how much we used to get to do shows in two languages, you will be shocked. It was in Hindi and Gujarati and we would shoot in two different languages and were paid Rs 1500 per day. And surprisingly we would get so happy about how much we make because we were working 30 days a month. I have worked in TV when I was paid Rs 500 and I would feel great about it. We were happy with what we were getting. In 1997 we were shooting in Madh Island and there used to be no network. In those days not everybody had phones. I remember around 4 pm I would disappear and I would call up and ask my maid if my daughter had come. They were simpler times. We would not connect art with money in those days. We would work for the happiness of doing good work. It was such a popular show and I thought I had seen the ceiling of TV popularity. But then Kyunki Saas Kabhi Bahu Thi happened and it changed the entire history of Indian television.
How did your life change after Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi?
My life changed in so many ways after Kyunki. I did not remain the normal person for the audience. Recently, I was travelling for my web series to Delhi and I asked my producer to send someone at the airport as I am geographically weak and the last time I had come to Delhi was when the Prime Minister had invited us. She looked at me with shock and I told her she must be thinking I am joking but it was a fact. The then Prime Minister had invited us to his house for dinner and I had gone. That was Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji in 2004. I have done the biggest Yatras of my life because of Kyunki. I performed the first aarti of the biggest pandals of India during Navratri. I had performed the maha Aarti of mahakaal of Ujjain during Shivratri. I feel these are the things that I have earned because of the show. Forget the money part. Forget the part when Kyunki made TV big and money became the important part. When the President and Prime Minister of your country invite you and you do all the biggest yatras of your life, it can’t get bigger.

What has been your takeaway from the Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi days?
All of us, Smriti Irani, Baa and me, we all have got so much from the show which was more important. When now I look back, I feel 'Oh my God' it was such a nice time. It was the first time when people got to know about TRP and they understood the importance of it. I remember KBC and Kyunki had gone on air on the same day and during the first three months we had surpassed the TRP of KBC. It was such a great feeling for all of us. During those days we would celebrate the anniversaries of our shows together and often visit KBC sets. It was such a great thing and all of us got the opportunity of sitting on the hot seat in front of Mr Amitabh Bachchan. I remember telling Mr Bachchan that I am going to sit on the hot seat to just look at you (laughs). Those were such great days. We did not get to cherish or celebrate those moments as we were working round the clock but now when we look back I feel so proud.
Did Kyunki's popularity help you bag more projects?
I remember because of the popularity of Kyunki, Sanjay Leela Bhansali had invited me to offer a role in Devdas and my jaw dropped. He told me I am offering you a very tiny part but I feel you fit the role perfectly. When I was doing the film, I did not have the time to absorb the moment but today when I think about it I recall what a lavish set we would work. It was a grand set but I was working so hard I hardly had to cherish those moments. I was shooting for Mihir’s death scene in those days, I have worked for 17 day and nights. During the day I would shoot for Kyunki and at night for Devdas. It took me three four days to adjust to the timings but post that my eyes would be wide open and used to not even fumble with my dialogues. During that time two drivers who worked for me left the job as they couldn’t work like this. I was eating, sleeping in the car. I have not seen episodes of Kyunki or Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka. It was recently during lockdown I saw all these shows. I didn’t have time to see Mahabharat. Lockdown was like blessing in disguise. The journey has been long and I just hope I get to work more and I get offered all kinds of roles as I am up for it.
Tell us something about the popularity and fan following you saw after Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi?
After Mihir's death sequence there was a craze of bringing him back. I remember I had gone to Surat for a show and a few kids came up to me and they gave me around 10 books in which they had written Mihir’s name in all the books. In Mumbai during those days even film stars didn’t get mobbed but Baa, Savita, Mihir and Tulsi got mobbed everywhere. The condition was the same in all parts of the country. In fact, once I had gone to perform a play in the US and there many foreigners came up to me and asked me if I am Savita from Kyunki. For me it was such a big thing because I was a simple woman from a Gujarathi family, a housewife who was doing this job. I have met people who are Kyunki fans from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, UAE and the Middle East who love watching our show. Every time this happened to me and I was in complete disbelief. There was another moment when Farah Khan saw me on Comedy Circus and she told me the next film she made she would cast me. We didn’t even exchange numbers. I even told her Farah to forget it. I am a TV actor and I don’t have dates. She promised me that she would use my minimum dates. She wanted me to play the role and she actually cast me. When I went for the trail of the movie Karan Johar and others walked up to me and kept saying that their moms were a big fan of mine. I was on cloud nine. When I was working with Akshay Kumar in the film, one day he walked up to me and said that his mom watched my shows and was a huge fan. And I kept thinking no this can’t be happening to me.
Are you and Smriti Irani still in touch and share the same bond that you had during the making of the show ?
Smriti and some of the cast members from Kyunki are friends for life. Even today when we want to talk to Smriti Irani we message her on her old number or on her husband’s number and afternoon 11 pm a call comes from private number. Whenever she is coming to Mumbai she informs us in advance and asks us when we are free and fix a date. She makes sure that we have one lunch at least together. We are friends for life. Most of us are not in touch with each other everyday but we are friends for life. We know that we will stand by each other come what may. Same was with the cast of Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka. Sucheta and I also kept in touch with each other and such bonding happens very rarely. Nowadays, what happens everyone says oh we are a family but nothing of that sort happens. Such bonds and relationships develop over a period of time and organically. We love each other from within.