She raised the bar of the small screen vamp as Ramola Sikand in "Kaahin Kissii Roz". Now, Sudha Chandran has opted for a mystical route to come out of her hibernation mode with "Naagin".
The veteran actress-danseuse says her quest for a platform for a "nice comeback" on the Hindi small screen has ended with the new finite series.
The actress, who laid a fashion statement with her elaborate bindis, saris and chunky jewellery through TV shows like "Kaahin Kissii Roz" and "Kuch Is Tara", added that during her break, she immersed herself in work down south. Nevertheless, she missed the vibe and atmosphere of the Hindi television industry.
"I was waiting for a nice comeback in the industry. I was in the hibernation process for almost four and a half years. I was not doing really nice work on television because I was busy doing assignments down south. I felt that I was missing Hindi television and there is so much difference to what we did (earlier) and what we do now," Sudha told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
She added: "My heart really longed to be a part of the industry once again. I was thinking on those lines when 'Naagin' happened from Balaji Telefilms and what better offer than this?"
In between, Sudha, an accomplished Bharatnatyam dancer who pursued her passion with a Jaipur foot after losing a leg early on in her life -- associated herself with serials like "Shastri Sisters" and "Kaisa Yeh Ishq Hai... Ajab Sa Risk Hai". But she insists she longed for a good project to come her way.
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At one point, there were several reports suggesting some rift between her and Ekta Kapoor post "Kaahin Kissii Roz", but the duo got back together "Kuch Is Tara" in 2007. And now "Naagin" brings them together yet again.
"I'm coming back to Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Telefilms. And I feel pampered, protected with them. Somewhere, I feel that I'm picking up from where I left with the same team, same director (Santram Varma) and even the location," she said.
Sudha was all praise for Ekta, who has come to be known as the czarina of Indian television, for bringing in a new wave of content on the celluloid in early 2000 -- be it the popular saas-bahu drama, mature love stories or now finite series.
"Ekta is known for creating something very revolutionary when something is becoming very stagnant. Like we started our era of 'Kaahin Kissii Roz', 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' and 'Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii'. But she brought in make-up, ornaments and set a pattern. And she has brought in finite series now," Sudha said.
The show, which will go on air on Colors channel on November 1, brings a whimsical world of snakes, who can take human form to the small screen. It unfolds a love story with conflicting feelings and underlying emotions of revenge. Sudha plays role of mother of the male protagonist, essayed by Arjun Bijlani.
The actress said her role is that of a traditional mother, but imbibed with positive traits.
"Her world revolves around her son and her family and she can go to any extent for her family in a very positive way. She is very god fearing person," Sudha said, adding that "mothers are always going to be mothers".
"It is about how an actor portrays the character with individuality."
As always, with Sudha essaying this part, one can expect a unique spark in "Naagin".
(Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)