For Jennifer Winget the series Beyhadh and the role of Maya could not have come at a better time. Wanting variation in her roles and willing to experiment, the actor says that was the reason for her not to accept acting assignments for a long time. “I did not want to take up work out of desperation and was willing to wait for the right story and it came along in the form of Maya’s role.”
Speaking about her character Maya, Jennifer says, “Maya has got varied emotions. She is a person with certain bad qualities and certain good ones but her bad experiences make it difficult for her to strike a balance between the two.” So deeply ingrained is the fear of losing someone she loves that Maya is unable to handle it. “The lady is afraid of losing anybody whom she loves. Love is an alienated feeling to Maya, so when it comes to her, she couldn't handle it suitably,” observes the actor.
Starting this Tuesday on Sony Entertainment Television, Beyhadh makes a break from the usual saas-bahu soap operas by bringing in elements of thrill, suspense and romance into the story.
Keeping her fingers crossed Jennifer is eagerly awaits the audience reaction to Maya’s journey. Having won praise from the audience and critics for her role of Kumud in the popular serial Saraswatichandra , the actor says, “ Beyhadh is not one of the regular shows but it has got its own dose of drama, emotions and suspense.” Maya, in fact, according to Jennifer has grey shades like any one of us. “If you go into the core of the character, you will definitely be able relate to Maya’s thought process.”
For Jennifer characters like Maya will change the portrayal of women on Indian television which has reduced them to pitiable individuals. “Maya is the kind of girl who is powerful and has a logic behind her every move. The solution which she adopts might be different from you but she will get the problem solved.” She asserts that though story is all about script and characters, there is very little attention paid to characterisation which is where Beyhadh differs from other shows. “The USP of the show is its characterisation,” emphasises Jennifer.
She feels portrayal of women on television is bound to change, and it is a question of time. “There is a saturation point for everything. It is a good thing that today we are open to experiment with new ideas and the creative freedom that artists enjoy.” Pointing at audience willing to embrace change, she remarks, “Films like Pink and Parched are just examples of that. Such response was not possible some years back.”
