Kya director hai

8220;Sunil Mehta of Cinevista, for reasons of his own, asked me to direct a serial. And though I had no experience, I have found that whenever I take up a challenge, it goes in my favour, 8221;she says modestly. Just the way that agreeing to compere Femina Miss India 8217;93 changed her career graph, opening up new vistas for her on TV.

8220;I8217;ve known Archana for many years now, she8217;s a personal friend. She has a tremendous narrative capacity. Basically, I knew that she would make a brilliant director,8221; says Mehta. Hosting shows and acting are just two of the things Archana does. She is also a regular on Amitabh Bachchan8217;s shows abroad. 8220;You can say I have found a latent talent,quot; she laughs.

A TV director8217;s job, however, is proving to be a little more difficult. 8220;Specially directing myself 8212; it8217;s tough, almost impossible at times,8221; she admits ruefully, 8220;As an actor I was working only in one sphere but here you have to tell the complete story in 22 minutes and TV is a medium which does not give much latitude.8221; Jaane Bhi Do8230; also stars Rakesh Bedi and Neena Gupta and will be telecast on DD2. Work has been completed for eight episodes and judging by other people8217;s responses, it8217;s thums up. Archana, however, says she8217;d rather go by her own judgment, quot;I think I can do much better, but I am finding my own system as we progress.quot;

Somewhat like finding her way about Bombay in 1982 which was alien territory to her then. Bought up in Dehradun, Archana was an exhibitionist as a little girl: she would smear her mother8217;s lipstick on her face and make an entrance in oversized heels. quot;I always wanted to model and though my family, which like most small town families, was surprised by my choice, it didn8217;t stop me,quot; she recounts.

In 1984Archana got her first big break with Mr And Mrs, the popular TV comedy which was a runaway hit. This started her career as a good comedian. quot;Though I can handle all sorts of roles, I would say I do comedy better than most people,8221; claims Archana. In 1987, she landed her first film assignment in Jalwa, opposite Naseeruddin Shah. Over the next few years, she did films like Agneepath, Aaj Ke Angaare, Aag Ka Gola 8212; some 12 in total.

Then in 1992, she took on another new role, that of a wife. She married Parmeet Sethi of Daraar fame and two years ago they had a son, Aaryamall.

Children are a big weakness with Archana, quot;Bringing up a child is the most creative thing you can do, it8217;s next to God,quot; she says. While working out to shed those extra kilos she gained during her pregnancy, she is also beefing up plans for a children8217;s charity that she wants to start up, quot;I guess, you can call it noblesse oblige. If you have been endowed, how do you justify, at the end of your life, that you didn8217;t do anything?8221; she asks, 8220;I think children are a good place to start.quot; Don8217;t begin to think that this soft-hearted big woman is a push over. She as bold and outspoken as she looks. quot;Socially and at home, I speak my mind, 8221; she reveals,8220;I am more or less the way I come across on screen.quot; She enjoys limelight but she is not a party animal, choosing, rather, to stay at home to read or paint. And she also dreams of a bigger canvas, quot;8230;the glamour, the grandeur, the largess of celluloid. I will make a film one day,quot; she says with conviction and ambition.