‘TV has lost its sheen’

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A still from Jassi Jaisi

From a demure and desi bahu in the popular series Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi to a scheming and shrewd businesswoman in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, Rakshanda Khan has experimented a fair amount with her roles on the small screen.

“But that was then,” says the actress who was once a popular face on TV but seems to have distanced herself from it for a while now. “But it’s always going to be my first love and always will be,” she is quick to add. “After all, television has given me a lot — money, recognition, fame and respect,” says Rakshanda who was last seen doing a cameo in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain. But there is a reason for that. “I did it purely because of the love and affection I have for Ram Kapoor (who plays the male lead on the show). Ram and I go back a long way. I have known him for years now — since the time he had six-pack abs,” she tells us with a smile.
For now, Rakshanda wants to put acting on hold and seriously pursue her role as a full-time entrepreneur and businesswoman. She is the co-owner and partner of an event management company called Celebrity Locker — a company that is already attracting attention for hosting some rather high profile and glamorous events. But there’s more to why she gave acting a break.
“It was purely due to the lack of good roles. I was getting loads of offers to play the main lead in serials and a few cameos too, but television has lost its sheen and character. It’s just not what it used to be a few years ago. I wanted to grow — as an actor, but more with regard to my career. And that resulted in my association with Celebrity Locker. I finally have the time and finance to build a brand for my company. I want to focus all my energies on it and give it my undivided attention,” says Rakshanda who purposely kept her new role under wraps for a long time. The actress particularly kept a low profile about her business venture. “I feared that a certain section of the media would play it up and brand me as an out-of-work-actress-turned-businesswoman. Of course I didn’t want to be portrayed like that. That’s why I decided to lie low for a while and let my work do all the talking,” she admits.
We ask the beautiful and successful Rakshanda what has kept her from the tying the knot. “I’ve had a few relationships and heartbreaks in my life like most other people. For me a relationship is a combination of love and loyalty towards one person. Unfortunately that is a difficult combination to come by these days,” she says matter-of-factly while adding that she is blissfully single at the moment.
There is a strong buzz that Rakshanda has been approached to be a contestant on the seventh season of the hugely popular reality show Bigg Boss being hosted by Salman Khan. When we asked her about it, she neither confirmed, nor denied the claim but said, “Right now my company is my priority. I’d rather focus on expanding it than anything else.”