Umang Jain the talented actress who was once part of the long-running show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai was recently seen in the Voot Select series Illegal.
Umang who has done TV shows Gharwali Uparwali, Maharakshak.. Devi, Ek Tha Chander Ek Thi Sudha and many more had a special appearance in the series and played the role of Sukhmani.
Says Umang, “Illegal was not a full-fledged character. I cannot call myself as part of the primary cast. It was supposed to be a special appearance, and that was what I agreed to be part of. The only reason why I decided to take this up was because of the stellar star cast the series had. I wanted to work with Piyush Sir (Mishra), and that was my major driving force. He is a fantastic actor to work with. In fact, he thought I had a good potential to go ahead as an actor. Such compliments are memorable in life.”
“Having said that, I am glad about the kind of response I have got. I never thought that a special appearance would make the kind of impact that it has. I have been getting a lot of messages and I am really happy. I was not expecting it, as I said I was looking forward to working with Piyush Sir. Later on, I got the privilege to work with Vikram Bhatt Sir. It was a great experience to work with a director of his capability,” she adds.
“Sukhmani’s character is very relatable. She is due for a promotion but is shocked to see someone take over the promotion. A lot of people in the corporate front line have gone through this. The basic turmoil that she has is acceptable,” Umang avers.
“As far as the climax is concerned, Sukhmani’s character has not reached that far. So I would say that there is scope for the character in the second season. But I don’t know if another season is coming out or not.”
Umang has taken a break from television. “It has been a good three years since I did TV. I was doing films. I did an Indo-Canadian feature, a Gujarati film, and shot for a reality show in Singapore which I hosted. I did a short mini-series for Dice Media. My Indo-Canadian feature The Lost Prince gave me a fabulous experience.”
“Web is a great space for actors. One fact is that everyone has work. I have been doing a lot of digital commercials. In terms of the future projects, I have shot for a pilot and will know of it soon. I have shot for another web original. So yes there has been good quality work happening. I have been working with a great bunch of like-minded people.”
Umang is one of the rare actors for whom work has not stopped coming even during the quarantine. “Strangely, I am not out of work during this lockdown phase. I have been shooting for a digital commercial from home for Max and Spencers. I have also done three short films which again shot at home. It was a very different experience in itself. I will soon be doing another ad.”
“Thankfully, God has been kind. I want to go ahead and want to accept the best. I have said no to nearly 24 web projects at the moment. I know the number is huge, but I cannot do anything that comes to me. Either the content was too bold or the intimacy was too much, or sometimes the content was not the way it was supposed to be. There is a lot of content in the market which is not worthy to be there, to be honest. I believe it is good to associate with people who know what they are making.”
All the best, Umang!!
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