Balika Vadhu actor Sonal Jha remembers feeling ‘powerless’ on the show, says ‘Ekta Kapoor was making regressive content’

Sonal Jha shared that she felt 'powerless' when her Balika Vadhu character was changed from progressive to orthodox at the channel's whims.

Actor Sonal Jha recalls her Balika Vadhu days and said that she intentionally distanced herself from TV shows.

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Television actor Sonal Jha is known for shows such as Balika Vadhu and Na Aana Is Des Laado. In a new interview, the actor said that she has distanced herself from TV shows and shared the reason behind it. Sonal, who recently featured in Sudhir Mishra’s SonyLIV Original crime thriller Jehanabad – Of Love & War, said that TV shows that appear to be progressive are rarely ever that.

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In an interview with Hindustan Times, Sonal was asked how has TV content changed since Balika Vadhu’s days. Stating that she stopped watching TV after 2016 and may not be able to talk in detail about this, Sonal shared, “TV is a wide medium and a lot of content is being made simultaneously. When Balika Vadhu was being made, Ekta Kapoor was also making her serials on kitchen politics and (that kind of) regressive content. So, I am sure good stories are still there but maximum stuff just the same as what has been going on (all these years). If there is any change visible, it is too frivolous. There are times when I get calls offering me ‘a strong and progressive character’.”

She went on to share, “I feel that their agenda is not showing progressive content. (They tell me) ‘this is the story, this is a progressive role. That is why I distanced my self from TV work, their agenda is different. They do not have a stand. Like the market does not have any stand, it will turn towards profit. All these companies are now talking about positive discussions around skin colour and body images but how much has actually changed? TV is a difficult medium to work with, if you want to work with a particular ideology or something.”

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She added, “Jab chahte the orthodox bana dete the, jab chahe progressive bana dete the mera Balika Vadhu character (They could easily switch my Balika Vadhu character from progressive to orthodox according to their will). Meri creative se ladai bhi ho jaati thi ki do episode pehle to maine ye kaha aaj uska opposite kaise keh rahi hun (I would often fight with the creative team asking why my character was behaving in a manner completely opposite of what she had said only two episodes ago)? But, you cannot say much in TV. The channel can do it, but we felt powerless.”

Balika Vadhu aired on Colors TV from 2008 to 2016. The story was set in rural Rajasthan and revolved around the life of a child bride. Pratyusha Banerjee, Avika Gor, Shashank Vyas, Siddharth Shukla, Mahhi Vij, and many others were also a part of the show.

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