Asha Negi on quitting Pavitra Rishta, TV and moving to OTT: 'Had my shows worked, I’d still be there' - Exclusive

Asha Negi will be seen in Criminal Justice 4

For most TV actors, landing a lead role in a popular and hit daily show and becoming a household celebrity is the goal. But for Asha Negi, who rose to fame as Purvi with Pavitra Rishta, success coincided with an unforeseen turning point: she opted to walk away from it all.

In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol, Asha Negi, who will be seen in Jio Hotstar's Criminal Justice 4, spoke about her decision to quit television at its pinnacle, overcoming rejection, and how OTT platforms allowed her to mature.

Asha Negi became a household name post Pavitra Rishta, where she played the role of Purvi and in this interview she admitted that it had become her identity for a long time. But it was her urge to do more creative work that made her decide to leave the show and look for other work.

In between, Asha did the reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi, but the shutting down of two shows back-to-back made her sit back and stop taking work that was not good enough.

Asha agrees TV was good money but it wasn't giving her creative satisfaction.

In her own words, she describes her second innings, which was filled with nervousness, creative fulfillment, and significant decisions.

Excerpts from the exclusive interview:

You've effectively shifted from television to OTT with Baarish, Abhay, and now Criminal Justice. What are the major changes you've seen between working in TV and OTT?

Asha: I'm quite grateful for television. I don't want to seem ungrateful, but television is a significant time investment. And we made that type of commitment in the early days. You were young then. You simply want to dominate the world. Give your everything. There is no patience now. Second, I believe that as you grow as an actor, you will want to do new things. And when you're on television for a year or two, you're basically playing the same role. So there is no creative gratification, which I am now very content with.

With television, we used to spend a lot of time waiting for the script. So, if the program were to take place at night, we would shoot in the morning. We were sitting and waiting for the script to arrive. Then it would air the same day. So we never received high-quality work. This is what I'm receiving from OTT programs currently.

Ques: You've expressed a desire to challenge yourself. What drew you to the latest season of Criminal Justice?

Asha: Lately, I've been picking projects and characters that I believe will push me out of my comfort zone and make me scared. So, I believe that was a key factor in selecting this specific project and character. In addition, I believe the Criminal Justice franchise is quite large. A large number of individuals have viewed it. It's a great show. And each season is really fun and wonderful. So, I don't believe I had many alternatives for saying no. So I proceeded with it. I will see.

Following your appearance on Pavitra Rishta, you rose to prominence. Why did you leave it at the peak? How did you make that shift?

Asha: Following Pavitra Rishta, I did reality shows. Then I did two television series, which were cancelled within a month. So that was quite demotivating. And I was devastated at the moment. I thought, perhaps this is it; it's over. Then I made a conscious decision not to watch anything on television. After Pavitra Rishta, I realized that I had become so accustomed to working all the time that I was simply taking up anything that came my way. So, after that, I knew that I needed to take a break and work on myself. So that is what I did.

I attended workshops and saw a lot of terrific films. And after that I was offered Baarish, which is on Jio Hotstar and stars Sharman Joshi. So that is how I began working on the project. And since then, the online journey began."

And you mentioned on TV that you were used to working long hours. How different is it now?

Asha: Because it was a daily show, there was a lot of turmoil and a rush to film and get the episodes on broadcast. There was a moment where it seemed like you were walking on set, being handed whatever clothing you were given, and then going off to do whatever. But I don't want to appear ungrateful to TV. I became a household name after Pavitra Rishta, and many people still address me as Purvi. However, I felt I needed a change from this. And that's when I believe we purposefully left Pavitra Rishta. Because I believe things had grown monotonous.

Do you believe TV actors face rejection because of overexposure? Did you experience that?

Asha: Yes, and I believe we still go through that. It wasn't only at the beginning, because when you do a program like this, when you're a part of something so popular, it becomes your identity. And it becomes tough to break free of that persona. But now I have stopped paying attention to that. It merely affects me and does not help.

When it comes to television identities or actors, humans are not like casting. I just want to finish my assignment. I want to go to my auditions and examinations, and I will continue to do my work.

And then, if one day someone realizes, oh, you know, we want her for this specific character and sees me beyond my television persona, that's fantastic.

So, now that you've been doing OTT for a long time, how do you pick your scripts? Do you stick to a checklist or go on instinct?

Asha: I want to perform meaningful work. And I believe this is how I truly pick. If I begin a month, I read the screenplay and character beats. It is quite tough for me to attempt something if I believe I will fail. I have never done it. It gives me the jitters.

Then I realize that I should go ahead with it. So, sure, that is how I have been picking my current work. I want to perform more significant work with more talented directors and actors.

Do you think women's roles on OTT are deeper and more nuanced than on TV?

Asha: It's getting better. There are more roles.

More projects are being written specifically for women. I honestly have no problems. I believe that women dominated television as well. And now, in OTT, there are so many series and characters that are brilliantly developed and written for female audiences.

In Criminal Justice, you share the screen alongside great performers such as Pankaj Tripathi and Zeeshan Siddiqui. How was that experience?

Asha: I had no direct scenes with Pankaj sir (Pankaj Tripathi). I've worked with him before in Ludo. But in this one, I had no direct scenes with him.

But I did work with Zeeshan Siddiqui and had a lot of hard sequences. So it was wonderful.

However, I believe that actors like Zeeshan and Pankaj's work speaks for itself. While on set with such excellent performers, I realized how basic they are. They make no fuss over their creations. And I believe that is the beauty. That is their USP. And that was a lot of fun. It was wonderful to work with them.

Is there anything from your TV days that made you rethink your decision to continue?

Asha: I don't think there was a purposeful decision to avoid television since it isn't working. My concerts were not functioning, so I had to take a hiatus. But, honestly, I believe that if Pavitra Rishta and those reality series had been successful, I would have continued to work in television. But this is a planned move.

Asha Negi will next be seen in Criminal Justice 4, which will air on Jio Hotstar.