EXCLUSIVE: Gurdip Punjj Of KKHH3 Says Playing An Emotional Mother Comes Naturally

John C. Maxwell said and we quote, “Life is a matter of choices and every choice you make makes you.” Well, in Rohit Mehra’s case, his choices broke him as well as his life. Following his life, the romantic series Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain Season 3 perfectly portrays the #RishtonKiUljhan that everyone goes through in their day-to-day lives. Taking you on a rollercoaster ride of human emotions, relations and decisions, the show stars Ronit Bose Roy, Gurdip Punjj and Mona Singh in lead roles. In an exclusive interview with ZEE5, essaying Poonam Kapoor Mehra, actress Gurdip shared her experience of being a heartbroken wife and mother.

Watch the promo of ‘Poonam, the Wife Whose Insecurities Never End’ here:

1. How has your experience of shooting for season 3 been different from the first two seasons?

Carrying the story forward, whatever happened in the first two seasons, the third season is a repercussion of all of that. I’m really amazed at how our writer, Jaya Misra has translated the entire story now in the new season. She’s given it a completely different dynamic to each and every character, which is beautiful. You can actually see the trailer and make out that the whole season is very promising. Everybody has high hopes for it and we’re very eagerly looking forward to it.

2. What should the audience actually expect differently in the new season?

Well, people were wanting Poonam and Abhi to get together. So, that is happening in this season. And when a relationship gets transformed into marriage, the different kind of insecurities that start cropping up are being shown because of the age-gap that Poonam has with her husband. He is 10 years younger than her. So, this is going to create and showcase new fears in Poonam’s character?

3. Did living the graph of a heartbroken wife and mother take a toll on you emotionally or physically?

You know, it didn’t! I’ve learnt a lot from the story that it is very important to move on. And sometimes marriages do fall apart. There’s no problem if you are out of love in a marriage. It’s perfectly fine. Because being in a toxic relationship and nothing happening for your well-being is even more dangerous and harmful. People move on and everything becomes normal for them. But, the only people who suffer are the children connected to that couple who were in the nuptial bond. So, my heart goes out to all the children who are going through this trauma of being in a broken family. That is really sad. We talk about love and about moving on. But, what about the children? They suffer!

4. Do you derive from personal life to play mother to two grown-up daughters Nikki and Bani?

Absolutely, I do! I have a daughter. And I love children. I really like how nice they are, how they need the protection and validation of a mother. They need someone to have their backs and a mother is all for that! Nobody can replace that love. I really have that natural streak in me when it comes to performing a scene where I have to emote as a mother. I am a softy when it comes to my kids, I can melt. And it really doesn’t matter to me how big or small my child is, in the scene. I can just relate to a mother.

5. From Juhi to Bani to Poonam, you’ve portrayed different shades of women. What have you learnt from these individual characters?

I have played very strong characters in all my shows. Each character has given me a lot of strength and has taught me a lot. And that’s how I incorporate a little bit of every character I learn from. I pick up nuances and I try to lead my life with those learnings. They’ve been beautiful characters in my life.

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6. Describe Poonam in three words. What are the things women will relate to from your character and story?

Poonam is a giver! She’s a true giver of love. She is a mother. And she is powerful. A giver in a way that she never thinks about herself. Though Rohit did not love her, she understood but she had her daughters and their faces were right in front of her. She saw them breaking down. So, she was giving them love. She was giving Rohit that kind of understanding of being a friend, a confidant, despite knowing that he’s sleeping around somewhere else. That’s a lot for a woman. And strong! She is powerful. She had to fathom that. For any woman, all hell can break loose, her whole world was shattered but she was powerful. She accepted Ananya in her house, in the second season. She is very practical. And she is so much of herself in the relationship. She’s keeping herself right at the end of the list. That’s the beautiful personality of Poonam, which every woman can learn from. And she is smart because salvaging the situation keeping all the things in mind is a smart move. She is trying to keep her family together.

7. You and Mona Singh are good friends in real life. How was it to play each other’s so-called on-screen rivals?

We were never rivals! I think Poonam graciously accepts Ananya and even Ananya obliges at Poonam’s invitation. We have beautiful scenes together. Being ‘patni aur woh’, this is the best show where both of them are shown like good companions. Mona is a great person. She is a lot of fun to be around and I think that translates into our chemistry in the scenes as well.

8. From being a mother you went on to become a chef. How was the journey of having your own cookery show?

I was a full-fledged daily-soap actor. I never thought that I could anchor a show. There were times that the show didn’t have a script and to finish it, I would just talk, talk and talk. Again, there I would talk about home, about kids and nutrition for them. So, all of that came very naturally to me because I was going through a phase of bringing up a child. My daughter was only five years old then. And those projects I did when I was trying to prioritize my kids. That kind of shows takes very little time and they are smaller projects that get over fast, which is why I did it. But of course, I learnt a lot. I always loved cooking. There was a proper audition for me to get on-board. So I had to know and have some skills. The intricacies of actually making a ravioli, cooking and baking, and why should the temperature of the oven be so and so, which as an actor, I don’t think I’d have the time to learn.

9. What message would you give out as Poonam to the audience watching the new season?

I’ve learnt from Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain that whatever you do in life, you are not just the one. You are responsible for a lot of people who you are connected with. So, take your steps very carefully. Otherwise, you will end up in a lot of toxic relationships and a lot of stress, and you can very well understand that from all of the three seasons.

Watch Gurdip Punjj as the ever-giving Poonam in all the episodes of Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain Season 3, streaming now on ZEE5.

You can also watch Sharman Joshi and Asha Negi in the romantic-drama series Baarish Season 2, exclusively on ZEE5.