Pihu badi hi achhi lagti hai
With Bade Achhe Lagte Hain taking yet another generation leap, the focus has shifted from the travails of Priya (Sakshi Tanwar) to those of her daughter Pihu. Now played by Fenil Umrigar, Pihu is shown to be heading off to college and may emerge as the central character in the story that was hitherto about the romance between a middle-aged couple.
Fenil says she’s excited to be part of BALH, especially after the leap when “Pihu becomes the central character”. “I have a lot to do. Much like Pihu, I am also very hardworking and I’m really hoping this stint is a success,” she says.
So far, Fenil’s first day on set had her signing the contract and she admits to being “super nervous” when she ran into Ram Kapoor. “I even told him so,” says Fenil. “But he was such a sweetheart! He assured me that I would do well. He helped me rehearse my lines with him to make me feel at ease. I had to give quite a few retakes but he was very accommodating. He is a perfectionist.”
The new Pihu has many words of praise for her other senior colleague, Sakshi Tanwar, as well. Fenil says that she’s always looked up to Sakshi as a role model, being among the finest actors in Tellytown, and adds, “I wish I had 10 per cent of the talent she has. I have shot a couple of scenes with her wherein she is in a coma and I am talking to her. So we haven’t really communicated that much. But she keeps smiling at me whenever she sees me. That’s very warm gesture.”
Fenil doesn’t know exactly how BALH will pan out over the coming episodes, as she says the cast has been given the scripts for only the first three telecasts post-leap. The focus will shift to Ram Kapoor and how he parents his three daughters with Sakshi’s character (Priya) in a coma. To keep viewers glued to their seats, some twists and turns — such as the “big reveal” of what really happens to Pihu on her prom night — have been promised.
But will this new focus prove detrimental for the show, considering that the Ram-Priya romance was its USP? Fenil agrees that while that may have been BALH’s big draw, the time has come to move on: “For a soap to thrive, the producers need to look for more angles. Like in Kyunkii Saas... the show was only about Tulsi and Mihir to begin with, but with time, that changed. The same is going to be the case with BALH. The focus will now be on Ram-Priya’s children and what goes on in their lives.”
And what about playing Pihu does Fenil find most challenging? “Pihu is like any other college girl: Sexy, smart and shrewd. She loves her parents and siblings and can do anything for her family. But like every teenager, she will also have a slightly grey shade — she is a prankster,” Fenil says.
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