Exclusive: Tanya Sharma on bonding with Dipika Kakar and Jayati Bhatia in Sasural Simar Ka 2: They welcomed us with open arms and are extremely understanding

Tanya Sharma, who is playing one of the leads in Sasural Simar Ka 2, shared about her overwhelming experience of being a part of the sequel to a hit show. She spoke about getting emotional about the show, taking forward a legacy, working experience with Dipika Kakar and Jayati Bhatia and more in an exclusive chat with ETimes TV. Read on:

The response has been overwhelming. Watching the first episode with the whole team was very overwhelming and that’s why I got so emotional. The kind of hard work we all have put in, especially shooting outdoors in Agra and when you see that hard work on-screen and it looks good – you feel that emotional satisfaction. I was scared and very nervous and that’s why I started crying at the premiere day. There’s a freshness in the show, which everyone is liking about it. Also, I have mostly been a part of a show since the generation leap and after six years I am working in a show from scratch. Hence, there’s nervousness to it.

Honestly, there was this thing in my mind that the first season ran for 7 years. It’s obviously a sign of a hit show. All I had in my mind was that I have to give my 200% to my character. If all the actors decide to give their best, our show will also run for 7 years. The content is so good and we are looking forward to it. There is a responsibility as we are taking forward a legacy and I am so glad that we have Jayati (Bhatia) ma’am and Dipika (Kakar) ma’am to support us.

Let me tell you, they both are so understanding. They don’t have any kind of attitude or ego that they are coming from season 1 or they are representing the show, nothing. They are so welcoming to all four of us – Avinash, Karan, Radhika and me. We felt so nice that they welcomed us with open arms.

Off-screen we bonded so well. We all sit together, we eat together and we have a great chat whenever we are not shooting. We spend time together even after shooting gets over. That’s how our relationship and bond is. All of us have bonded and I am so grateful for that. I feel when you bond off-screen, it reflects on-screen and the audience will get to see that.

There is physical exhaustion. The weather is changing and it's extreme summer here. We are shooting under the scorching sun all the time. It is an outdoor team and we are staying at a particular property due to the rise in Covid-19 cases. From the past 15 days, we are shooting inside the property. We only remove the mask when in front of the camera. Physically, I have gotten sick, everybody has gotten sick. It is because of the heat and sun and we shoot the entire day in the sun. But no complaints, we chose this. It is our job.

When you shoot in another city, you feel the connection with the citizens and even they think it as their show. It gives us that advantage when we shoot outdoors. We get to connect with the city viewers. The warmth you get there is incomparable. While shooting there we experienced how much people loved season 1. While we were shooting in secluded spots and inside a property, we did a few scenes outdoors. We saw people going crazy seeing Dipika and Jayati Ma’am. They love them and the show so much. We four hope to get the same love for our show.

I had visited the place a long time back when I was a kid and have those childish pics. This time I was very excited. We were so lucky! We shot inside the Taj Mahal only one day and it looks unreal. It is majestic. I arranged for a photographer and did a photoshoot after packing up. I had packed extra clothes to shoot there. These are the moments when I feel blessed to be an actor. Just imagine I shot inside an empty Taj Mahal. But sadly, just after that day, the public places got shut due to Covid-19 cases.