Priya Bapat: Aani Kay Hava 3 is very intense and mature

Aani Kay Hava season 3 released on MX Player on August 6. The show has been one of the most popular Marathi web series of recent times. Starring Priya Bapat and Umesh Kadam in the lead roles as Jui and Saket respectively, Aani Kay Hava talks about a couple who works their way through their marriage.

OTTplay exclusively spoke to Priya about the show. The actress revealed her acting method, future of the show and Umesh, among other things.

Excerpts from the interview:

Which are the qualities in Jui which attracted you the most towards the character?

Her innocence and honesty. She's very open, honest, sweet and yet innocent.

Even though Aani Kay Hava is now loved, did you think there was a risk of people not connecting to the show?

There is always some risk. The first time, like you mentioned, there is the risk about how people will react. Once you receive a lot of love for that, then you are taking a lot of risk for living up to those expectations, performances and script in the second season. However, even if there is a risk, you don't get disappointed, nervous or tense because of that. It pushes you to perform better and work on yourself and character. It helps you understand what has worked in the previous season and how differently you'd like to approach the third season. Of course there is always a risk involved but it is the one you are willing to take because you want to tell a story.

Did you stick to the script or bring a change in your character, like an improv?

I love following the script. It's what I do with most of my characters. I consider my script as a bible. It is the ultimate for me. Before a script reaches an actor, there has been a lot of discussion that goes with the writer and director. When I read the script, if I have to make an addition to it, then I share my views with the director and the writer. If they find it right, they accommodate the changes in the script. If they find it inappropriate, then they convince me of how my thinking is different from what has been written. I like both things, as long as there is a healthy discussion. With Jui, I just followed what Varun said because he has the knack of dealing with the most sensitive issues in the simplest way. It might be a complex emotion that one cannot confront or it might just be difficult or become melodramatic. Varun never goes into that zone. He makes it very simple and relatable. He does it beautifully from his writing to direction. When Varun is around, I put everything on his shoulder and tell him to guide me around.

Did you expect that the show would get this kind of a response when it was first released?

Not at all. We didn't expect so much love. This is crazy. People are crazy about Aani Kay Hava. When we had this huge gap between the two seasons, we got 100s of messages everyday asking when the third season would be released. You feel the pressure like the first time you take your boyfriend to meet your parents. We have received so much love for Aani Kay Hava, both the seasons, which is why we're doing a third season. I hope we continue doing many more.

Once a series is successful, does it put a lot of pressure on both the makers and actors to give it their all to the new seasons?

That always happens, no? We're not going to be overconfident and say that our series will work only because the first one did. It's never that. When like-minded people come together and create a project, this happens. All of us feel that it's our responsibility everytime we go on floors to shoot a new season and give people better or different (more mature) than what they have seen earlier. In the third season, we're discussing some serious issues. It could be periods - the monthly menstrual cycle that a woman has to go through and how a relationship can affect that phase and how a husband and wife would react to a situation like that. If a wife suffers for four days, the husband is also suffering on a different level. It's very important to reach a point in a relationship where you can discuss those things. It is very important.

The third season isn't only about the happy moments they share but also the fights they have. A time comes in their life where they feel nothing is working out. It happens to all of us. You feel your life is stuck and stagnant and you don't know what to do. That's when the equation between the husband and wife is extremely important because then you fight the situation together as a couple. This season is way more mature and intense and a lot of fun.

Is it inspired by real-life people and situations couple's go through?

It is a roller-coaster ride that all of us go through. That's the same for Jui and Saket too.

Would you say Aani Kay Hava is Marathi industry's answer to Permanent Roommates or Little Things?

I don't want to compare the show with any other show. I just think this show has its own space and I would love to keep it that way.

Have you met someone like Jui or Saket in real life?

I have my Umesh Kamat in real life. All couples have similar equations. The way we react to situations might be different. It might not be the same as Jui and Saket. Umesh doesn't do so much comedy at home. There is Saket in Umesh, which is why Varun wrote it that way.

So would you say there's some Jui in you as well?

We all have that. I'm sure even you'll have something of Jui in you.