I’m hard to miss: Shikha Swaroop

Former Miss India and actress Shikha Swaroop is back on the small screen, and this time she is embodying the role of Queen Kaikayee in the most recent revival of the mythological costume drama, Ramayan on Zee TV

People are viewing this as a major comeback…
I actually made my comeback last year, with Return of Chandrakanta. This is the next role I am taking up since I have returned.

Kaikayee is a negative role, as opposed to your protagonist role as Princess Chandrakanta. What drove you to accept it?
Laymen take her to be villainous, but Kaikayee is in fact a doting mother to all four sons, a shoorveer (valour queen), as well as a beautiful sister and wife. It was just one fleeting moment of shortsightedness that caused her to be swayed by Manthara’s poisonous ideas and she comes to repent this all her life. In reality, there is Kaikayee in all of us. Most importantly, without Kaikayee, there is no Ramayan, since she serves as the vehicle for Lord Vishnu to complete his karmic cycle as a human. She is so emotionally colourful and complex, and I was compelled to accept this challenge to portray her.

How did you prepare for the role?
I don’t think I needed to do anything much to prepare to play Kaikayee. Being in costume feels like my second skin. My Hindi is also good, which makes me more comfortable whilst acting.

You are also a seasoned sportsperson. Does this help you with your acting in any way?
Yes, of course! Firstly, I can easily complete most action scenes. Stamina on set is required, especially since we’re up by 6 am and we usually only wrap up at around 9 pm. Also, I don’t mind climbing the huge flights of stairs on set; a little sweat here and there doesn’t matter!

You have been the telly sweetheart for so many years, are you afraid people will now look at you in a different light, since you are playing an antagonist’s role?
Kaikayee is a character with multiple shades, with a whole spectrum of emotions. If she is convincing enough as the conniving, power-hungry queen, and if audiences lose themselves in the show and actually dislike her; I’m certain they will ultimately empathise with her, and come to like her again by the end. Her greed quickly shifts into repentance, and if I am able to portray that accurately, people will remember both her and me.

Is this return going to be the start of a new era of Shikha Swaroop?
(Laughs) How can I be the judge of that! Ramayan is giving me the platform, but at the end of the day, only the audience can decide. It’s always touch-and-go, you see, and more often than not, it’s a factor of their moods. That being said, I am hard to miss as Kaikayee!