Shweta Tiwari: Television content is still not progressive

From fiction to reality shows – actress Shweta Tiwari has explored almost all the genres of TV. She became a household name after playing Prerna Sharma in Ekta Kapoor’s soap opera Kasautii Zindagii Kay. Later, she won Bigg Boss 4. After 15 long years of working in a serial, she is all prepared to step into yet another television soap opera, Main Hoon Aparajita. The actress will pair up with Manav Gohil.

In an interview with Anandabazar, Shweta said, “Many people complain that I take a long time to pick a new work for me. I try to pick a serial that would not be monotonous. Within six months, I should not feel why I am doing this. Also, I try to pick a character I have not done before. The story of a serial and my character are the two things I focus on.”

Talking about whether TV has the same impact as before, the actress said, “Earlier, all the age groups used to watch TV. These days, perhaps the younger generation doesn't watch TV anymore. They watch OTT content. One of the main reasons for that is that television content is still not progressive. Only a few TV serials could think out of the box. Most of the makers still follow the same pattern and same production process.” The actress also added that she doesn’t think that TV has lost all of its audience. “There are people, for whom television is the only source of entertainment. They are our loyal audience,” she said. 

Shweta and Manav started their career almost at the same time. Both of them worked in Naagin. “We have a bunch of topics to discuss on set – our children, families, work-life balance, etc. We don’t particularly talk about the old days. However, Manav and I grew in this industry together, hence, we also talk about our old days,” she said.