Interview: Mihika Verma
By: Ashika Sengupta
Many beauty pageant winners in the United States would not necessarily look forward to becoming a live-in daughter-in-law once they settled down with their Prince Charming. Then again, halfway around the world in India, it is very common for a young bride to move into her husband’s family’s home, even if she was once crowned Miss India International 2004.
Of course, Mihika Verma checked her crown at the studio entrance when she decided to play a “bahu” – Hindi for live-in daughter-in-law – on the popular Indian television serial Toh Baat Hamari Pakki Hai. But that did not mean she would have a hard time relating to her role as a bahu, especially in a society and culture where such familial titles are commonplace.
Indeed, perhaps the only struggle Verma had to endure was figuring out just how, exactly, to portray a bahu, since not only has she never played such roles in previous acting engagements, but she is not even a live-in daughter-in-law in real life.
“For the very first time, I will be essaying a role of a typical bahu. Previously, I’ve been essaying gray-shaded roles like hard-core negative, the second woman, or a college-going girl,” the beauty queen-turned-actress informed the press about her new role. “But for the very first time, I will be essaying a bahu with full clothes and accessories, and this too is new to me.”
In moving forward from her debut television performance in Viruddh, Verma said she was drawn to her role as a bahu due to its level of realness. Indeed, Verma believes her character in Toh Batt Hamari Paaki Hai will make it easier for her to connect with audiences and be a positive influence in the lives of the show’s female viewers.
“All I can say about our show is that it has a very authentic base and is not like any exaggerated serials which have no reality in them,” she candidly said, adding it was very important to her to accept the role of bahu as a personal challenge. “Frankly speaking, nowadays the theme on the Indian television is more of a social issue-based serial and hardcore saas-bahu (mother-in-law versus mother-in-law), so I took up a bahu character because this is what will run for a longer time, or else I will be left unemployed.”
Speaking of being employed, Verma said her role in Toh Batt Hamari Pakki Hai was a long time coming. Specifically, she confessed she was offered this role earlier but was unable to make a full commitment earlier, due to her extensive work on Virudh. However, things ultimately worked out, and Verma is finally now playing the role she was long offered.
“I was waiting to work with Diya for two years, as she has offered me one show on Zee Next,” she admitted to reporters. “I was totally packed with Virudh, (and) I could not give node to her, but now, finally, the dream has come true to work with her.”
By playing the bahu, Verma hopes her own dreams and ambitions will continue to come true even after she completes her run in Toh Batt Hamari Pakki Hai. Until that day comes, she certainly hopes audiences will be able to connect to her as they watch the long-running serial over the coming weeks and months.
