If the only option is TV then definitely it is not easy to survive if you don’t have a long-running show: Shivani Gosain

She has and is still enjoying every bit of the journey. The best part about TV, according to her, is that 40+ actors do get substantial roles and good exposure.

“ Times have changed, for 40+ actresses there are plenty of options to choose from these days. Age, gender, marital status, and looks are not going to be a hindrance to your talent. You just need to work hard, and be lucky to be at the right place at the right time. A lot of shows are based on mature love stories or on their life struggles which the audience can relate to. Today's audience is intelligent and they appreciate good content and want variation and subjects close to reality along with entertainment and drama. For example, all these actresses on OTT and movies, be it Sakshi Tanwar, Raveena Tandon, Shefali Shah, Tabu, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee, Vidya Balan or Neena Gupta, are doing so well and setting commendable examples for all,” she says.

40+ actresses in every TV show are expected to look glamorous. “Expected? In reality, many are super hot and glamorous. So it's good that few are getting opportunities to showcase their glamorous side like how people are today,” she adds with a smile.

The content has evolved over the years, but still it seems that in most shows chachi-bhabhi is reduced to rebuking the protagonist to create the drama. “On TV, yes that’s true. But nowadays there are OTT and movies, which are based on good subjects, interesting content and experimental ideas are also being explored. There they value talent over stereotypical dramas,” she adds.

On her ambitions at this stage of her career, Shivani says, “I still feel like a fresher as the actor in me has still not got the deserving opportunity to showcase what more I can do. Therefore, I want to explore myself more, do variations of strong, sensible challenging roles, and now is the time when TV is not the only option. There is OTT and movies to look forward to that are exploring good subjects based on powerful and interesting content. I see myself getting into a stronger and better place in my career and want to do a character like that of Rani in a Mardaani, Tabu in Drishyam and so on. I see myself becoming part of this league and talent.”

On TV if you don't have a long-running show, survival becomes difficult.

“On TV, nothing is constant, anything can happen at any stage— TRPs might fluctuate, change of channel, team or production house, writer or artist getting replaced, date problems, any kind of stupid politics can come up at the last moment etc. The reason could be logical but one can’t have surety about their work and timeline on TV. But obviously, if the only option is TV then definitely it is not easy to survive if you don’t have a long-running show. For the past two years because of the pandemic made it difficult for many to survive.  All are opting for side income opportunities to stay afloat,” she says.