‘I enjoyed my career, never devoted time to husband, children’: Kitu Gidwani

Kitu Gidwani, who once ruled the small screen with shows like Swabhimaan and Shaktimaan, continues to work though she is still waiting for meaty roles which are hardly being written for middle aged women like her. She is now returning to the OTT space with the second season of comedy series Potluck in which she plays an older woman looking to return to spotlight. She is also gearing up to make her big television comeback after 22 years and finds it funny that TV is now giving her what OTT didn’t. Also read: Kitu Gidwani: Enough of discarding women after 40 in showbiz, creators who still do this should be ashamed

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Kitu talked about her character in Potluck season 2 and made it clear that it was nowhere close to her own situation. She also expressed disappointment on the absence of good scripts for women like her and said she is ready to play any character which is not stereotypical in any sense.

Kitu calls Potluck season 2 ‘a breath of fresh air.’ “The show is an urban comedy about people living in cities and what their lives must be like. It was new comedy, very light, almost like American style comedy. There were lot of improvisations and group interactions and I found the script very interesting. Doing comedy, to make it gripping for the audience is very difficult, only good writing and acting can pull it off. It is very easy to engage the audience with drama or suspense,” said Kitu. The SonyLIV show is expected to be funnier as it explores different characters and their journeys.

The trailer shows Kitu having a tough time as she tries to return to work. Introducing us to her character, she said, “Pramila’s children have now left home, they are settled. She is getting bit bored, like middle aged women who have accomplished all in life. She wants to do something different and wants to find her way through something new. She decides to do what she does and everyone gets involved. The family is always witty, in each other’s houses, taking part in each other’s lives, giving each other suggestions no matter how silly they are. The husband is also interfering. This makes her little more irritated, so it’s quite funny.”

“It’s very nice, light way of looking at a middle-aged woman and what she goes through at a certain stage in life just to feel worthy or to feel special. Women in India are always giving and giving to family. Women of certain age are still vibrant, relevant, intelligent and have lot to offer. This is a comedic way of showing how a woman may tackle a midlife crisis,” she added.

Kitu also makes it clear that the character’s situation is nowhere close to hers. “I have always been in spotlight, so for me, that will never be an issue. I am very focussed on my own self and have thoroughly enjoyed my career. I never devoted time to husband, children and all. You take what you get in terms of the market. It’s not a comeback because I have always been there. People have to still discover my value,” she said.

Kitu, however, stresses upon the need for better roles for women of her age. She said, “I am a better actor today than I was 20 years ago. But the market has to accept that. People are very youth oriented. Good writing for older woman is definitely not part of the psyche in India. In America and the UK, older women get absolutely fabulous parts. This has not yet happened in India because we have a very young audience. That will hopefully change as women and society progress with time. Women will become more visible and good parts will be written which people will watch. Instead of playing stereotypical mothers, women today are entrepreneurs, industrialists, politicians, writers, doctors etc but somehow our film industry is lagging 20 years behind. Our film industry is very conservative and very scared for some reason in empowering women.”

“There are so many people like me who are not a mom and who are career oriented and have other passions in life, who have been divorced. They have to be given a voice. Everyone is not only a mom looking after children or cooking for husband after 30. I definitely don’t look my age. The film industry puts people in boxes, they don’t understand how to write pathbreaking roles for women over the age of 30, forget 40. That is part of our culture, it’s very difficult to break that,” she added.

Kitu has also shared her refusal to play a stereotypical self-sacrificing mother but won’t mind playing a strong village woman. “There are strong women in villages, panchayats and every other sphere in life. I would love to play that part also. Even if it’s a mother, it could be one with a very interesting journey. Anything that is stereotype, two dimensional, cardboard characters, something you play by the rule book – any character will be boring that way. Unfortunately, there is no market for older women,” she asserted.

After getting decent offers on OTT but none as a lead, Kitu is now set to make a comeback on television after 22 long years and said it was a big deal for her. The show will be an adaptation of a Turkish series. Talking about the same, Kitu said, “It’s a usual family drama but mine is a very strong character. Ironically, TV is giving me what OTT is not. It’s a different world, one can adapt to it, be grateful for that and can also work in OTT. We need to be using our acting muscles to feel fulfilled. You are always looking for that part in which you can lose yourself in the character. It is a completely different feeling when you are doing a character which is not you.”