Will not participate in reality shows: Simone Singh

Mumbai: Popular TV actress Simone Singh is not eager to feature in reality shows, but is open to doing a dance reality show.

“I will not participate in a reality show. Dance shows look like a lot of fun, so that might be a possibility in the future,” Simone told PTI.

Simone had stopped doing fiction series on television when everything went from weekly to daily.

“There was a period when I was being asked to shoot 28 days a month. Now things are more organised with daily shows and it is possible to have a work-life balance,” she said.

Simone, better known as Heena (the role she reprised earlier on television), has made a comeback on TV after several years with daily soap ‘Ek Hasina Thi’. She feels there have been positive changes in terms of content on the small screen.

“There is much more opulence and greater focus on set design and production value. There is more attention paid to costumes and the look of the character than before. Also, there is a greater variety of content on TV. Today there are lot of different shows like thriller, comedy, dance and music, horror etc. This is good news for the audience,” Simone said.

She did not miss doing fiction series on television. “I hosted talk shows on English language channels and enjoyed those…they have a different audience and viewership. I am enjoying being back on a drama series now,” the actress said.

In the thriller-drama show ‘Ek Hasina Thi’, Simone is seen playing the role of a Kolkata-based powerful businesswoman and a mother.

Set in Kolkata, ‘Ek Hasina Thi’ chronicles the story of a woman named Durga (played by Sanjeeda Sheikh) seeking justice when society and law fail and situations lead to clash between Durga and Sakshi (played by Simone).

Simone, known for playing the girl-next-door roles, is playing a negative character for the first time. She feels glad to have got a chance to play it now on screen.

“The part of Sakshi Goenka was narrated to me as a strong, powerful, author-backed character with shades of grey and that was a draw for me as I’d never played a role like this on TV before,” Simone said.

“Sakshi Goenka has a dark side to her but is also a complex, nuanced personality. She is not one dimensional in any way and I wanted to imbue her character with humanity and charm,” she said.

Considering that actors doing TV get typecast, Simone is not apprehensive playing a negative role.

“This never occurred to me at the time I accepted the part. The way I see it, I have had the opportunity to play diverse characters so far, simply by being judicious in my choice of roles, so I don’t have any worries on this count,” she said.

The show is being aired on Star Plus channel since April 14 and Simone is getting a good response from the audience, family and friends.

“I have been getting appreciative calls and messages from friends and colleagues. People I haven’t seen for years have gotten in touch to say they have loved my performance. Audience feedback has also been positive for our show,” she said.