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Actor Rashami Desai, who was away from the limelight for a few years, recently made a comeback with the Star Plus show Sayonee. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, the actor opened up about her break from the small screen and the challenges and judgements she has faced throughout her showbiz journey.
Talking about taking a break from the small screen, Rashami said, “I had stopped working in between for 3-4 years. I did a Gujarati film, and I did a film on Zee5, Hisaab Barabar. I didn’t work a lot; I didn’t feel like it. I did get TV offers, but I couldn’t connect, or maybe I was not ready in that moment. I usually disappear for 3-4 years after doing a show. I really wanted to unlearn a lot of things. I did a lot of workshops; I was working on myself. There is a lot of hard work you do as an actor. When you do a film, you get time to work on yourself, but TV is a long commitment, and you are living that character even without realising it. So there were a lot of things I wanted to unlearn. I had my own journey. I didn’t feel like working. I just felt that if I wasn’t convinced of something, I wouldn’t convince my audience.”
Also Read: Rashami Desai says she was homeless for four days, slept in her Audi A6: ‘I had a debt of Rs 3.5 cr, was on the road’
Rashami also opened up about dealing with criticism and online trolling during her time away from television. She said, “People’s opinions don’t matter to me. Earlier I used to read these comments and sometimes enjoy them. But my character (in Sayonee) has taught me not to care. In the last 3.5 months, I have stopped reading comments. I figured they are paid. Someone is paying to attack me. There needs to be a limit. You may not get affected, but a lot of people have committed suicide due to trolling.”
Rashami Desai on facing judgements: ‘I was underestimated, told my career is over’
Rashami Desai has owned her choices and always spoken her mind. However, as a woman, she has felt underestimated and objectified in the industry. “Yes, I was underestimated only because I am a woman. A lot of projects happen where women are only used as objects in a frame. I found that very wrong; we are way more than that. Her job is not to look voluptuous, sexy, gorgeous, glamorous; there is much more to her. We have been stereotyped, which needs to change. When a woman steps into the field and keeps working hard, she deserves recognition,” Rashami said.
She further added, “I have a lot of things to do. I am a very good actress, and I don’t mind saying it, but I didn’t get that platform. People just generalised me as a TV actress. They said, ‘Oh, she is looking fat.’ I am an actress; I want to act. No one is going to launch me. When someone is so passionate about her work, you cannot just look at her in a glamorous way. It happened to me, and I decided not to work then. TV does not make you an object. It gives you a platform. It is a very underrated platform. TV has a stronger reach than any other platform, but it’s seen as taboo. So many people told me I am an overexposed face. I was told my career is over.”
