Exclusive - Divyanka Tripathi says there was a time when relatives told my parents, 'naak katayegi, dekhna kuch din mein laut kar aa jayegi'

TV actress Divyanka Tripathi is returning to screens with a new show 'The Magic of Shiri', which will stream on Jio Cinema from November 14. The very talented actress, who has many hit shows to her credit, told Money Control in an exclusive chat that there was a time when people didn't believe in her.

Now, almost two decades later, Divyanka is a name to reckon with, and she is still loved as Ishita Bhalla from her hit show Yeh Hai Mohabbatein. The multitalented actress will now be seen playing the role of an illusionist, Shiri, who is fighting all odds to fulfill her dream of becoming a magician.

While speaking with Money Control, Divyanka said she believes that magic also happens in real life and that she experiences it every day in her life.

Divyanka said she also relates to protagonist Shiri's journey, as at the start of her career, her relatives also told her parents that 'Divyanka will return home soon and won't be able to achieve anything in life.'

Excerpts from the interview: 

Magic happens in real life

What magic means to me? Okay. So, there are two things: one is Shiri's magic, and the other is the magic of real life. These two are relatable because I've learned a lot from Shiri. Shiri has also learned a lot on her own journey. Shiri has this tagline that 'there can be magic in real life too' and Shiri has actually experienced it in her life, with so many complications, so many ups and downs, and how she navigated her life to achieve her dreams, and how sometimes things just fell into place at the right time. That's the magic in her life. Finding the right kind of guide and the right kind of motivation to be where she reached finally. That was the magic of her life.

In my life, every day there is magic happening. Every day it feels like, 'I thought this, and how did it happen?' I can feel magic in my life as well."

When relatives spoke against my decision 

When people don't trust you, or you don't trust yourself, it's a fight we all face at some point. When I was entering the industry, many people didn't trust me either. Some relatives said, 'You're sending Divyanka there; she'll ruin your reputation, and she'll be back in a few days.' So, there was no faith in me either. When I was entering the industry, then mere upar bhi na jane kitne logon ko bharosa nahi tha. Jab mere kuch relatives ne kaha arey aap wahan bhej rahe ho Divyanka ko, naam badnaam kardegi, hamari naak katva degi, dekhna kuch din mein laut kar aa jayegi. Toh aise mujh par bhi faith nahi tha. It's about believing in your journey, not just yourself. Sometimes you don't trust yourself and feel like you've made the wrong decision in life. This was happening with Shiri too: 'Am I doing justice to my family or am I on the wrong path?' We should not question ourselves and believe in our journey. If we have thought of doing something, then dedicate yourself to your goal, and you will reach somewhere."

The role chose me

So to begin with, it was a very well-written story. I got a synopsis of it, and it was very intriguing, thankfully. I felt the story was very amazing. So I wanted to read more of it. Generally, when a role is offered to you, then makers also have various options in mind. But somehow, they were very sure that they wanted me in particular, and I was intrigued. I thought, Why did they want only me, and then I went through all the episodes. I read all the episodes in one day, and I just knew that it could only be me. And I just told them, I don't know decisions confidently, obnoxiously, with a straightforward attitude for a change. For this show, I was like, I don't know. This is me. This can't be anyone else. Because this woman has so much variety in her own character, and it was very relatable. Shiri showed off family management, career pursuit, and then she is. She's stubborn. And I think I see that in myself. I may have 2 left feet, but I'll dance if I have to, if I want to do it. By the way, Nach Baliye was one of my toughest journeys ever. That was honest.

Getting into the skin of being Shiri 

"Absolutely, this (performing magic) is the result of years of hard work. You've been doing it since childhood, and you need to develop finesse in your hands. So, I took a few workshops, but workshops are just a few hours long, and then you're on your own. So, I used to keep practicing, like if I could make a coin glide in my hand or master the card mannerisms. I used to play with these things all day at home, so that it became a part of me. The biggest hurdle is when you attach something new to your body, like a card, coin, or stick; if it's not a normal part of your life, then you become awkward while playing with it. I didn't want that awkwardness; I wanted my acting to flow properly. So, I made it a part of my life and practiced day and night, and even played tricks on my dad, like pulling a coin out of his ear, and he was like, 'What?!' Then he would tell everyone, 'She can pull a coin out of someone's ear!' And I'd be like, 'Uh, okay...' My dad would tease me, but I'm like, 'Okay, fine...'

My parents were supportive

"I think I have an attitude, and it's been within me since the beginning. Thankfully, my journey has been different from others, and I haven't been stopped from doing things. My parents have always supported me, and they had faith in me that I wouldn't make wrong decisions. So, they always supported me, and especially coming from Bhopal, art and culture are encouraged and nurtured in our city. So, I had that cushioning, but I had to prove a point to others beyond my family because they were questioning my parents' decisions. People around us, certain neighbors, certain relatives, would say things like, 'She'll spoil our name,' 'She won't dress decently,' and so on. So, they all felt that I would eventually come back home crying, saying I made a mistake. But, somehow, this was a fight for my parents. I would say I did it for my parents, not just for myself, because they had faith in me and made decisions for my benefit. I wanted to prove that their decisions were not wrong, and I worked extra hard and was resilient enough to keep walking. There were days, months, even years when I had no work, no money. So, I had to generate work and create my own opportunities. There were those phases, but it was all because I wanted my parents to feel proud of me."

Lean phase after Banoo Main Teri Dulhann

Yes, these phases come in every actor's life, and that's when your actual character and patience are tested. As an actor, your entire personality is tested, whether you can sustain yourself or not, because for us, getting the first or second show is not a big deal, but sustaining yourself in between is the biggest struggle. So, I think I passed with flying colors. Yes. You did. I don't know. You've played a housewife.

Reflecting on my journey 

Initially, it was a huge struggle to get a different kind of character. In my first show, I played an illiterate, simple housewife, and after that, I started getting similar characters. Apart from that, I was getting offers for mythological shows, which I deliberately avoided because I didn't want to get typecast. I wanted to play bold characters, and I was willing to say no to projects that didn't align with that. As a result, I didn't get many offers, so I ventured into comedy. That was a challenge too, as I had no experience in comedy, and I learned everything on the job. I took up those shows because I wanted to break my image, and surprisingly, people don't even count comedy shows as real shows. When I did my first show, 'Banoo Main Teri Dulhann', and then 'Yeh Hai Mohabbatein' came after a few shows, including comedy ones, people said, 'You're doing your second show after so many years?' And I'm like, 'But what about the comedy shows I did in between? Don't they count?' Even when I started 'Yeh Hai Mohabbatein', I had struggled so much.

Yeh Hai Mohabbatein gave me a fantastic graph

After Comedy Circus, my image started changing. In Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, I got a fantastic graph to play, and I did so many things—I jumped from a mountain, did a fight scene, and so much more. Mohabbatein gave me a superb graph to play, and after that, it started flowing."

Then people started getting trust in me ki that Divyanka can do different types of characters as well. Then I got the role of a chef (Cold Lassi Aur Chicken Masala), then Adrishyam. Now people don't hesitate; in fact,  now people hestitate in offering me simpler roles. And that's an achievement of Divyanka Tripathi, just like my character Shiri.

On returning to TV 

TV is a very important part of my life, and I feel that what we as TV actors can do, I'm sorry to say, people on other mediums can't do. On TV, we have to deliver quickly, adapt very quickly, and be very spontaneous, and our learning skills and script understanding skills have to be very quick. So, all these things are inculcated in us TV actors. I love the entire journey of my television career. Also, I've never left TV, just that exciting characters like Adrishyam don't come often, but if it were on TV, I would still do it 100% because it had a great graph, challenge, and I took MME classes and everything. I added action, and the fight master and I would sit and figure out what to do as we didn't have much time, so we had to come up with new moves quickly."

"Even in Shiri, it was the same; time was always scarce, and I knew that once I got the schedule, I would realize that there wouldn't be any breathing space. That's why I prepared everything in advance, so that when I went on the floor, I could execute something without worrying about timing. I love taking up challenges like this, and I'm glad that I got this opportunity."

The Magic of Shiri, a heartwarming slice-of-life drama, will release on November 14. Starring Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya, Javed Jaaferi, and Namit Das, the series narrates the story of a homemaker whose life takes an unexpected turn, reigniting her passions and offering her a chance to chase long-forgotten dreams.

This inspiring tale is a powerful journey of self-discovery, second chances, and the transformative power of embracing one's own happiness.

Divyanka, who belongs to Bhopal, became a household name with her hit show 'Banoo Main Teri Dulhann' opposite Sharad Malhotra. Post that she tried her hands in comedy and then she got offered the role of Dr Ishita Bhalla in Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, which was loved by all.

Post wrapping up the show, Divyanka took a much needed break and then made a shift to OTT. She was seen in Coldd Lassi Aur Chicken Masala in September 2019. Later she did Adrishyam – The Invisible Heroes in 2023 where she played the role of an undercover agent.