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EXCLUSIVE: Naina Singh on quitting Kumkum Bhagya: Wasn't told my character is negative; wanted to leave soon
In an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, Naina Singh spoke on why she decided to quit Kumkum Bhagya, and what she plans to do next. She also revealed that she doesn't want to get typecast. Read.
Sriti Jha and Shabir Ahluwalia's show Kumkum Bhagya has been entertaining audience for six years now. Last year, a new set of actors was introduced to the show with Krishna Kaul, Mugdha Chaphekar and Naina Singh as new leads. Naina, who played the role of Rhea on the show, decided the quit the show much earlier, but with her notice period now ending, she opened up on why she did not want to continue. In an exclusive chat, Naina shared that she never knew her character was going to be negative and that affected her personally. Over to her:
We read that you decided to quit the show. Your reasons are also known. Was it a difficult choice? Were you apprehensive before?
Honestly, I can't sugarcoat. When I joined the show, I wasn't told that my character is negative, and I did not want it to be shown in a negative way because this is my first show. People get typecast as antagonists then. It is hard to change that later. I wasn't ready and did not find it fair as I thought I wasn't informed initially. Secondly, the weightage of my character was not given. Initially, it was supposed to be about two sisters but then I was made out to be one of the characters, there was no story around me, I was just there. Everything was not making me happy. I sent them the letter back last year and did not know about the six months notice period. So, I was actually serving the notice period. I wanted to leave the show as soon as I joined. By the end of the day, I wasn't happy. It is just that I made family there.
I made the decision long back and I did not regret it at all. I would rather sit for one month looking for work than doing something which I am not enjoying. Also, I had many international offers that came my way which I had to say no because of Kumkum Bhagya. It was becoming frustrating.
Will you miss your co-stars and crew?
I will miss them. These people are those I will meet later too, but I will majorly miss my makeup dada, hair didi with whom I used to spend a lot of time.
How did your co-stars react?
My co-stars saw how my character was molding, my screen space was not that much and everybody knew that I am very upset about all this. When you call somebody and say it is a lead role, you come up with a different mindset but then you realise it is not. This freaked me out. They never wanted me to leave but then they understood my state.
You have maximum scenes with Shabir. What did he say?
Shabir and I have a good equation. He also called me and I told him about the step and he said, it is your fight, but if you have something in hand, then take a fight. But do what you feel is right. They have been pretty supportive because they could see me being disturbed.
What next for you?
I had signed two web series which were to start in March but then lockdown happened. So, let's see. I am not being choosy about work but it should be good. I am not saying no to TV but it is supposed to be good.
You are not ready for negative characters?
Negative characters are fine but it needs to be justified and makes sense. If I get a negative role in movies or web shows, I would love to because it is limited and you don't have to carry the baggage home.
Did it affect you when you played Rhea?
It did, actually, because I would keep thinking about the same thing, main yeh kyu kar rahi hoon. Things that seem bizarre I was doing. And, it started affecting my personal life too. So, I took the decision. Also, my acting started getting affected. I became very monotonous, I was just speaking my lines, not feeling it.
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