Ritu Shivpuri's debut in 1993 "Aankhen" film gave her the recognition as the 'Lal dupatte waali' girl but her Bollywood career never took off after that.
The actress says there was not much scope for good roles in films those days and wishes she had made her debut now as she is impressed by how parts are being written especially for women.
"I wish I had made my debut now. If that would have happened then I would have been somewhere else. Especially because of the roles that are being written for women. Today women are not just an accessory," Ritu told PTI.
She says she is happy to see actresses being at par with their male counterparts when it comes to movie roles.
"Today, actresses are one of the pillars of the show or a movie. It was not like this when I was doing films, women were just someone to be wooed and for singing and dancing."
Ritu did a handful of films in the '90s before settling down to raise a family. She may have missed her chance on the big screen but she is very upbeat about her second innings on the small screen - first with Anil Kapoor's "24" and now "Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 3".
"When people watched '24', they called me up and said 'we didn't know you were such a good actress'. But that is because I never got the opportunity to show my acting. Acting was never explored for actresses back then. This is such a good time to make a comeback. I hope to take the world by storm."
Ritu is the daughter of noted actors Om Shivpuri and Sudha Shivpuri, who is best know as Baa thanks to her role in Ekta Kapoor's longest running TV show "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi".
The actress says her mother, who died in 2015, used to tell her to do TV shows but back then she was too busy managing her home and two kids.
"I am doing TV for her but unfortunately she is not here to see it. She would ask me to do TV all the time but it was not the right time then. I am working for the last two years and I am very happy to be back."
In "Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 3", Ritu is playing the main antagonist - Indrani Narayan Vashisht, who is the mother of Barun Sobti's character.
The actress says her kids love watching her on TV but are amused by her villainous turn.
"My children are loving this show. They watch the episodes and all the promos. But I think my family is amused by my negative character."
"Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 3" airs from Monday to Friday on Star Plus.
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