I felt like I was exploited for a year: Rytasha Rathore

Rytasha Rathore, who recently returned to the sets of Badho Bahu for a week before it ends, says she learnt a lot from her debut TV show. The actor took a twomonth break from the show, and there was controversy about her absence, with reports claiming she had quit and the channel was hoping she wouldn’t. However, Rytasha pays no heed to the rumours. “It was a long time away from the show and I felt refreshed when I returned,” she says. “The break worked wonders for me. When you do a daily soap every day, it becomes mechanical. I wanted to leave the show a year ago, but I couldn’t. So when my contract expired, I left. They tried replacing me, too. There were many reasons for leaving. I wasn’t getting the due I deserved in terms of money. We talk about equal pay for equal work, but that wasn’t the case. I felt like I was exploited for a year.”

Rytasha adds she wasn’t enjoying the work atmosphere on the show either. She says, “When shows start off, everyone is enthusiastic and works hard. But after ten episodes, everything becomes like a factory. I am not a person who can work like that. It is not like the work is bad, but it is not the work for me. I am actor, an artist, and I want to do good quality work with people whose minds are free.”

Currently, Rytasha is working on a digital show, and when asked if the bad experience has ruined TV for her, she says, “It hasn’t scarred me, but it has made me smart. When I joined TV, I was a hardworking, naïve, sweet actor who thought everyone was nice, but soon I learnt that was not the case and I learnt to play smart. This experience made me mature and wise. I would be open to taking up a short-term project on TV, as I can’t work more than three months on TV. Otherwise, I will go mad. I would love to go all out and do a negative character in an Ekta Kapoor show and get all the bad overacting out of my system.”

I can’t work more than three months on TV. Otherwise, I will go mad. I would love to go all out and do a negative character in an Ekta Kapoor show. RYTASHA RATHORE, ACTOR