Glitz

Bhavna Pani seen in Jyoti Gupta's Queens Hain Hum speaks about the show and more!

What shows have you done?

> I have not done television before. This is my debut. I have done many feature films, Hindi and South Indian. I do a lot of theatre. And last few years I have also been a part of an International Stage Musical called Bharati, The Wonder that is India. So I was busy travelling with Bharati. Out of twelve months, eight months I was in Europe and other parts of the world, performing this musical. It was all about glorifying India, Indian traditions and culture on international stage. So, I was busy with theatre primarily. And I have also done many ads, am still doing, and I am happy doing them.

What are your character details in Queens Hain Hum?

> I play Maya Biyani. She is the beauty queen of the group. She is also the senior most member of the group and also the leader because she has started the group. She is into the beauty business. She owns a beauty market in Block Market in Delhi, where people are very conscious about how they look and she herself is very conscious about herself. She is always perfectly dressed. Everything around her, her house, her children, her family, everything has to be beautiful and perfect. She is a super achiever, she is a superwoman. Whether it is housework or professional  front, she is perfect at everything. Even if you make her face a problem, she will manage to come out of it. Her husband is travelling a lot for work, but still, he trusts her. She gets out of the major crisis with a lot of confidence. But the motto that she believes in is "Beauty is from inside". Beauty is not wearing good clothes and makeup. The main beauty is what you feel from inside. If you make yourself happy, you will look beautiful, automatically people will appreciate your inner beauty. And that is Maya's funda.

How much do you relate to the character?

> I really relate to my character because I am a perfectionist myself. I am quite independent. I do not like to depend on others in phases of crisis. If somebody comes to me for help, I love helping them. I will go out of my way to help somebody out. So that is one quality that I cherish. So I really identify with Maya. She has a little bit of leader and bossy attitude. I am also a little bit like that in my group of friends. Not exactly bossy but I like to take the lead. If they are not able to take a decision, I take the lead and make the plan myself. So, yes, I relate to Maya's character. 

How is it working with Silver Ivory Productions and Jyoti Gupta?

> It is great working with Mr Jyoti Gupta. I have been saying no to television for almost a decade. I did not come across anything  interesting. But when Jyoti sir narrated this concept to me I was like,not only this concept is very interesting but also this story needs to be told. This story needs to come on screen. People need to change their viewing habits and get used to watching stuff like this. Apart from that, Kudos to Jyoti sir for coming up with this concept and being  bold enough to bring such concept on small screen. One major reason for saying yes to this show was Mr Jyoti Gupta because he and I are born a day apart. So I understand his personality and more than that I believe that people born on 13th of August and 12th August are nice. And my judgment about him is very correct, he is a great human being. He is fair and full of justice. He says that there is no problem in this world that can be solved without communication. And that is my funda as well. I also believe that every problem has a solution if we just sit calmly and discuss. He is very respectful, genuine and just; a gem of a person to work with. 

The concept of the show is very bold. Comment.

> I don't think the concept of the show is bold. I think people need to change their viewing habits. It is a very normal story of five women, a very real story. We are not showing anything black or white. We are showing grey areas. It is not necessary that every woman,for that matter,every person comes with great qualities, there are certain negative aspects also attached to them. And we are showing these grey areas with a very real depiction, that there is nothing right or wrongin absolute terms,it is rather relative. What matters is the context. We are showing different perspectives of these five ladies who have one ideology. I don't think it is bold, and even if it is, it is high time that we need to talk about these things otherwise the minds of humans will remain stagnant with the age old thoughts,thereby leading to an increase in  crime rate. If we are open about certain things then the "haww" factor will decrease. People will not treat it like a big deal, but get the acceptance of the realities of life.

The title of the show is also unique. Comment.

> Yes, it is a unique title. Queens is the name of our group. And the writers Kumar Gautam, Bharvi Shah and producer Jyoti Gupta, everybody is trying to say every woman should be and feel and behave like a queen. No matter what creed, caste she comes from, the feeling of being a queen should come from inside. You should not feel like a subservient sex or a subordinate sex. Just like a king, there is also a queen. Every woman should feel good about herself. So Queens Hain Hum is a very royal, graceful and a beautiful name.

Any interesting incident from the set?

> When there are five women on set, there are thousand interesting incidents happening every day. But one regular feature happening every  single day of a week is that a girl faints on the set. Touchwood, this did not happen with me. But may be after this interview, it will happen because I have jinxed it. We the five women on the set work very hard. We take a lot of time for the hair and makeup. By the time we arrive on the set, we have to shoot very fast, we don't even get a second to sit. We don't even get to go to ease ourselves. But our production people are so good, they take great care of us. Silver Ivory is a great production house. We are given great assistance on the set. The shooting is made as luxurious as possible. At the same time, it is very difficult considering there are five women on the set as I said. Our kitchen queen Tanya (Kenisha Bhardwaj) always faints on my lap in the middle of a shot. I absolutely adore that girl. She has so much of motivation and drive in her, even after fainting, she rests for a while and comes back on the set.

Who is your favourite co-star?

> They are all my favourites. Patrali is one girl who smiles no matter what. She is full of entertainment. She enters the room and it lightens up. That is one quality that I want to bring in myself, that never get stressed up. I don't know how she does it. Jiya is like a baby. She is the youngest. She has a very nice heart. I get to see a different perspective when I talk to her. She is one of my closest friends.  Shaily is a sweetheart. She has a great sense of humour. She is lost in her own world. I find that cute and endearing. Kenisha is my jaan, she is my baby, she is the closest to me. We bond well because we are of same age. Our lives are very similar. She is very lovable. I like to take care of her, be like an elder sister to her. But she takes more care of me. She is like a God's gift. 

What feedback are you getting for your role?

> I am getting good feedback. Apart from TV, I am also doing films and theatre. When people come for my plays, they call me &TV's Maya! They call me their favourite queen. They appreciate each and every scene. It is unbelievable how carefully people are watching this show. I am thrilled and very satisfied with the feedback that I am getting. It is a difficult role. She is a married woman but still having a kind of affair outside. She is not very ethical but at the same time she is very strong. So it is avery grey character, and  inspite of this, people are liking it, so I am feeling blessed.