Exclusive: Even today people recognise me as Savita from Kyunki and I’m very proud about it, says TV's original saas Apara Mehta

“Although I’m not social media savvy, every time I make an appearance on Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, my number of followers goes up and I find it very amusing,” says TV actor Apara Mehta. She became a part of the show in January this year. Apara says, “Even for such a small yet significant role, the audience has showered me with love and adulation. My character speaks in a very poetic manner and has a certain rhythm to it. I do get a little anxious before the shoot, but once I’m on the sets, I find the going smooth.”

While Apara has extensively worked in the Hindi TV industry, Gujarati theatre and films, even today, she’s remembered as Savita Virani from the hugely popular show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Talking about it, Apara says, “The show was a life-changing experience for everyone associated with it. While a certain section of media (especially the English media) tagged us under a typical ‘saas-bahu’ show, we were one of the first shows to deal with social issues like widow remarriage, marital

She adds, “I’m still remembered as Savita Virani and I proudly wear that tag. We Kyunki… girls are friends for life. Every year on July 3, we meet for lunch to celebrate the anniversary of our show. However, we haven’t been able to do for the last two years. When you are shooting continuously for a show, you don’t get time to sit back and watch your work. During the lockdown, I got a chance to watch the show from the beginning and I enjoyed that experience.”

Talking about her small screen journey, she says, “My experience of working in the Hindi TV industry has been fabulous. Even after my track ended in the show, within a week, I had already started shooting for my next show. From Balika Vadhu to Saat Phere, good work kept coming my way and I was never stereotyped. I’m a very fun-loving person and when I got a chance to explore comedy in Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo, I felt ecstatic.”

The veteran theatre actor recently made her OTT debut with a Gujarati political thriller drama with seasoned actors like Rohini Hattangadi and Vandana Pathak in prominent roles. She says, “As a senior actor, I’m getting offers for daily soaps. I didn’t take it up for personal reasons as I wanted to do something hatke. When this opportunity came, I grabbed it. Apart from working on some interesting OTT projects, I’m giving a voiceover for an audiobook. Honestly, since the lockdown eased, these have been the most satisfying and challenging projects that I have taken up. While working on these projects, I had to unlearn everything and had to tone down my expressions.”

Apara, who joined the social media bandwagon last year, says, “I’m an opinionated person and my daughter had warned me about the downfalls of being like that on social media. During the lockdown, we decided to explore Instagram. I came to know that actors get judged based on the number of social media followers and it’s unfair.” She adds, “Experienced actors like me don’t have to deal with this. But young actors can lose out on good work even though they are talented. An actor’s talent can’t be judged by the number of his/her social media followers.”

Ask her what kept her busy during the lockdown and she says, “I spent a lot of time catching up on my sleep, enjoying good food and spending quality time with my mom and daughter. I even lost some weight as I got a chance to rest. For the last 22 years, I have travelled extensively across the globe for my plays, TV shows and films with just 2-3 hours of sleep and erratic food habits. During the lockdown, I realised how badly my body needed sleep and thankfully, I got that. It also gave me a chance to introspect about my choices when it comes to my future projects.