Saumya Tandon and Asif Sheikh talk about pairing in Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain
Asif Sheikh and Saumya Tandon
Asif Sheikh and Saumya Tandon make for a somewhat unlikely couple in Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain. While Asif plays the lethargic Vibhuti, Saumya plays his wife Anita, a former beauty queen who is quite the go-getter. In an interview with us, Asif and Saumya discuss their on-screen comic timing and more.
Saumya, Asif, what were your first impressions of each other?
Saumya: Well, Asifji is a seasoned actor — and he’s going to kill me for saying this, but I’ve seen his work since the time I was little! [laughs]. He has done comedy for years and he is good at it. Also, some of my friends who’d worked with him earlier told me he’s a really good person. So when I met him for the first time, I was at ease. I did wonder if, like many established actors, he would be rigid about certain things. But I was happy to find that he is very easy to work with.
Asif: Initially, I had no idea who would play the role of Anita as there were various actors auditioning every day. But finally the day we had our photoshoot, Saumya came up to me and said that she had heard a lot about me from her friends.
She came across as very talkative and we got along really well. Since then, we share a great comfort level with each other.
So, who broke the ice?
Saumya: It happened gradually, there wasn’t this one moment of “breaking the ice”. The comfort level developed gradually.
Asif: I’d say Saumya was the one who ‘broke the ice’…
What do you think works for both of you as an on-screen couple?
Saumya: I think Anita and Vibhuti’s relationship is like a breath of fresh air on Indian TV. It’s not a clichéd relationship that you see in all the soaps, where the wife is the ‘sati Savitri’ and the husband is the typical chauvinist. The chemistry that we depict hasn’t been explored before, and that’s why people find it amusing and refreshing.
Asif: Also, the fact that we appreciate and complement each other’s work builds a very positive environment. We also give suggestions to each other if there is room for improvement and work together on it.
Which scene would you say has been your favourite?
Saumya: I loved the first time Anita makes Vibhuti dress up as ‘Deepu Mastana’, the domestic help, and romances him. I love the scenes where she very sweetly, politely and lovingly entraps Vibhuti in his own game, gets him to do all the work.
Asif: I loved the scenes where Vibhuti becomes Raja Ram!
What do you like most about each other?
Saumya: Asifji is a spontaneous and an intelligent actor. I relate to him.
Asif: She is really calm and composed and always talks to the point.
Okay, any quirk/trait about your co-star that annoys you?
Saumya: Nothing really. Just that he keeps teasing me about me being the bold, brazen bhabhi I portray in the show!
Asif: There is no quirk or trait as such. We are always on the same page and hence there are never any problems between us. We enjoy working together.
Tell us something fans don’t know about your co-star.
Saumya: He gets really jittery doing naughty scenes and keeps joking that his wife and children watch the show, what will they think about him!
Asif: She is a poor eater. Even if she gets sprouts, she counts and gets 20 grains! Also she carries her food in really tiny boxes. The entire cast refers to her tiffin boxes as “matchboxes”.
How do you spend time on sets in between breaks?
Saumya: Oh my room is like a music room, I have a lovely music collection and I listen to music, and I also read. I also finish all my studio work.
Asif: With shooting and rehearsing every day, I like to catch up on my sleep. I also watch some movies on my laptop and read sometimes.
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