Deepika Singh on returning to television after 4 years with Mangal Lakshmi: ‘Financially I am stable in life, so I chose not to do TV’ | Television News

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Talking about taking a sabbatical from the small screen, Deepika shared, “Since childhood, I was in awe of classical dancing, I wanted to be an actor, so I did theatre, then Diya Aur Baati Hum happened so fast, but during that time I realized that I wanted to learn classical dance. I started learning it in 2014 and got quite involved. After that I became a mother, my interest in classical dancing increased, and I took a sabbatical. Diya Aur Baati Hum gave me the financial independence to choose what I wanted to do in life. I was earning even without doing TV, now I am visharad (expert) in Odissi dance, so I wanted to do something on TV and luckily this show happened.”

Sharing what made her take up a docile role like this after playing some strong characters in TV shows in the past, Deepika explained, “So far, I have done strong roles, so when I was approached for this, everything was falling into place. I finished my visharad and left for this shoot. I was offered some great shows in between, but by choice, I said no to them. Financially I am stable in my life, so I chose not to do TV. As for Mangal, she is very different from my other characters, the show balances that strong and docile element. At one point, Mangal takes a stand against her husband’s humiliation. I think this is the best way to bring change in society.”

When asked if Deepika was afraid she will be forgotten while she was away, the Kawach 2 actress shared, “I never had the fear of being forgotten. I have always lived in the moment. My husband is a director and he would always think how could I be at home and dance for 4 hours, after working for 14 hours in the industry? He would tell me, that he felt a talented actor is sitting at home and that I should work, but he saw my love for dance too. I did a film in between, I thought with dance I could do movies or web shows since they didn’t have a long commitment. I was not away from work but from TV. And with social media today, a celebrity has the advantage of being connected with fans. Even today I cannot go to a market, because people recognize me, so even though I was not on TV, I was in the public eye.”

Commenting on the regressive content on TV and how she has chosen to stand out with her shows, Deepika said, “I have never been a part of any show that is regressive, Diya Aur Baati Hum brought such a change, a lot of girls who thought they would not be able to manage personal and professional life simultaneously changed their lives. I have met so many IAS and IPS officers who have seen the show and then chose to take civil service exams. In Rajasthan, women have ditched pallus after the show, they continue with their education after marriage, and traditional ladies have done B.ed. We become actors so that people relate to our work, even Mangal is a character like that. People will accept this too, because every Indian woman will relate to the suppression that goes on in the families, and they tolerate it for a peaceful life. I feel honored to be a part of this show.”

Deepika’s show goes on air tonight on Colors TV and will air from Monday to Friday at 9 pm. It talks about the underlying toxicity in an arranged marriage setup and what happens when a woman takes a stand against it.