Actor Asha Negi’s breakthrough role as Purvi Deshmukh in the hit serial Pavitra Rishta made her a household name in the TV industry. Before entering the entertainment industry and shifting to Mumbai, she started her journey by winning the Miss Uttarakhand 2009 pageant in her hometown Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Recently, when Asha sat down for an interview with SCREEN at the Delhi office, the actor recalled the early days of her career. She also opened up about going on a hiatus to quit television.

During a candid chat with us, Asha Negi revisited the time she wanted to fulfill her dream of becoming an actor. “I have wanted to be an actor, a heroine, since childhood. I used to see Preity Zinta, Kareena Kapoor, and dream about it. But, I never thought that it would come true, because we belonged to a middle class family in Dehradun, with no connections in the industry. I participated in the Miss Uttarakhand competition, and I won, which gave me the confidence that I have something in me,” she shared.

However, her family was completely against the idea, but she got a three-month window to prove herself. She said, “My sisters even stopped talking to me because they were against it. My mother is a little scared because I had a brother who passed away before I was born. She never even let me go to Mussoorie from Dehradun, but she was the first person to understand that I had to come to Mumbai.”

Story continues below.
Subscribe to see fewer ads.

The actor continued, “My parents were convinced, but they gave me three months to prove myself. Within a month, I got a cameo in a daily soap, then another one in Bade Acchhe Lagte Hain, and then Poorvi’s role in Pavitra Rishta. One of my classmates was already auditioning in Mumbai. So, I had a companion to go to different auditions.”

When she had initially moved to Mumbai, Asha thought that she would never do TV shows. “Initially, I used to be on a high horse that I’ll not do TV serials, and I’ll only work in ads and films. I didn’t know anything, but the audacity was crazy. Someone tried to explain that it’s not easy, I should take up any small role if I get anything. I still crave for that fire I had at that time.”

When asked about her decision to quit Pavitra Rishta and take a conscious step away from the TV industry a few years ago, Asha Negi recalled, “I had quit Pavitra Rishta because it got very monotonous everyday. I had been doing it for three years. Then, I did a couple of reality shows and I was habitual to working all the time. I was just doing what I was getting. Then, two of my shows got cancelled within a month. That was my wake-up call, and I decided that I’ll not take up any show now, I’ll just work on myself.”

Story continues below this ad

She further added, “I didn’t learn anything before entering the industry, I had just learnt on set. People learn the most during their failure, not success. I watched good cinema, attended acting workshops and also worked on myself as a person. It was a challenging time for me, a difficult phase. So, that’s how that break happened, it just had to happen.”

After avoiding daily soaps for a few years Asha Negi went on to feature in several OTT projects, including, Baarish, Criminal Justice 3, Abhay 3, and many more. The actor was most recently seen in Jio Hotstar’s Ali Baba Aur 40 Bhoot.