Sneha Jain is best known for her role as Gehna Patel in Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2. The Free Press Journal caught up with her for an exclusive interaction.
The actress feels Indian TV shows have come a long way. While saas-bahu shows did extremely well with the audience earlier, Sneha feels that the way women are portrayed in TV shows has changed nowadays as they are shown in much progressive and multi-dimensional roles today and the audience is loving it.
“At first, it was a typical saas-bahu situation, where the husband used to go for work and the wife handled the household chores. But now, we see that there are lots of shows where women are independent and are handling work and home. Even in my show Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2, I was a housewife and a lawyer by profession,” she explains.
She further adds, “We are now seeing shows where women like to become a police officer like Diya Aur Baati Hum where her husband supports her and allows her to study. Many things have changed, especially the concept of bahu these days.”
Sneha is glad Indian TV shows are evolving. “It is more progressive. Views have now changed. Being a housewife is a choice but if you want to do some work, then you can! That’s your right,” she shares.
Talking about shows that showcase women empowerment, Sneha says, “The glorification and empowerment that I noticed in the character was Diya Aur Baati Hum which was very nice. Also, in Barrister Babu. There are lots of serials which show women empowerment. These shows created history because of the power of women and people have been inspired by it. Even Anupamaa has displayed such a strong character. It’s a brilliant concept. I feel proud to be part of this industry where these kinds of characters are doing so well.”
Sneha believes that the audience is getting inspired by watching these strong characters on the small screen. “People are so connected to us and they do get influenced. People send the voice notes and clippings telling us that they are so inspired. It’s necessary to bring out such stories so that we can convey this message to the people of rural areas as well who aren’t given so much freedom. As women, we should inspire other women and everyone has a right to live their own life,” she concludes.
