Sonali Bendre on being nervous about making debut in TV

She was up till 5 am shooting for the finale of Cinestars Ki Khoj. After attending to her household commitments - her nine-year-old son wasn't keeping well - Sonali Bendre is back on the sets. This time to shoot for her debut fiction soap Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh. We catch up with the glamourous actress for a tete-a-tete between her shots...

After judging half-a-dozen reality shows, finally you also got bitten by the acting bug on TV...
Yes, and I am wondering why? It's really scary. For one, I am not used to shooting such long hours. Two, on reality shows I am being myself saying and doing what I want. Here, I am playing a character, something which I haven't done for a long time. I was really nervous, in fact I had nightmares about it. People say acting is like bicycle riding, once you know, you never forget it. Still, I was apprehensive about going through it and hitting the right note. Also, there is the nervousness about how people will accept it. I am not used to it now because unlike reality shows, here the stress is on me. It's like how you feel when your film is about to release on a Friday.

What prompted you to foray into acting on TV?
Honestly, the role and the shades to my character. Plus, the fact that I am playing my age. I have lived my life the way I want to. I am somebody's daughter, wife, mother and bahu. I love relationships and value them a lot. I have no desire to re-live my 20s. I have done enough of the kind of things a girl of that age does in films. My character in Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh is fabulous. Also, it's a finite show so you know where you are going and where it is ending. Everything is in place for one season.

Isn't it about extra-marital relationship?
The way I look at it is it's about the journey this woman goes through. There are layers to my character and it's part of a plot. The way I approach the story is different. It's about a woman who has been married off at the age of 22 immediately after her graduation. She is a housewife and never worked in her life. She has always been somebody's somebody. There comes a point in her life when she thinks she needs to start working. Even for a working woman like me who hasn't been part of the industry for 10 years to start picking up from where you left is a big deal, so imagine how it will be for a woman who has never worked to start building a life again. I connected with the role because my mother used to always tell us three sisters that we have to be independent. She was a housewife so it must have come from a place where she felt that and it reasonated with me and connected to my character.

The promos give out a very good vibe about the show with your character coming across as sweet and Apurva Agnihotri's as arrogant.
Actually, Apurva is not arrogant but quirky and audience will love that. He has an obsessive compulsive disorder and till you know about it, it's irritating. But there's a different layer to his character. That's the beauty of this show.

What was your husband Goldie Behl's reaction to your doing the show?
Frankly, I had said no to the show initially. The channel head Ajit (Thakur) then called up Goldie to ask why I was turning down such a good role. Actually, Goldie and I never discuss work but Ajit knows Goldie so he tried to convince him. When Goldie heard the role he was surprised. He asked me why I was refusing when I always said I don't want to do films because I don't get to play my age. He was like, 'here you are getting a role which fits you perfectly, you look good and I know you can do it.' I still felt hesitant because that would men leaving my son for longer hours but Goldie convinced me saying I had stayed with him for seven years and now that he is nine he also needed to be independent and it would be good for me too!

Will we see you making a comeback to films too?
No, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara was a different thing. Shobha aunty (Shobha Kapoor) called my mom-in-law and I did it. Even now though Ekta is producing the show, the channel called me. However, I wanted to make sure everything is smooth because it's a family thing. TV is much more organised and structured compared to films and I cannot go on long outdoor shoots, so no films as of now.