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Vashi2Panvel.com: Navi Mumbai: November 19: As soon as we entered her Nerul home, the barks and hounds of the Pomeranian Stuffy and the Gradian Dango welcomed us. It was not really the right time to visit someone, so even the dogs were a bit apprehensive. The pets had just come from a late-evening walk and it seemed they would attack us the moment they were freed of their masters’ clutches. Then suddenly a low voice came from inside, “Oye, ki hoya?” (What has happened?) It was the newly married Dolly Sohi Dhanowa (of Bhabhi fame) who sounded alert and perturbed, questioning her younger sister Amandeep Sohi. Bespectacled and clad in black track pants and a vibrant red top with the red ‘Punjabi Chudas’ adorning her hands, Dolly appeared dazed and drowsy.

“Today was an extremely hectic day. Actually, I will fly off to Canada where my husband stays by December end so I’m shooting round the clock. And I was just retiring for the day,” she says. After a few apologies, we began a tête-à-tête with Dolly who spoke about her marriage and profession.

So, what would happen to Bhabhi after she resigns? “I really don’t know what the scriptwriter has planned for the story after my departure. All I know is for a long while now I’m there in the story,” she giggles. Dolly, who did not have a film or television background, found it extremely difficult to break the ice with the industry bigwigs in her initial days. It was an arduous journey for her as her parents objected her decision to join the industry. “My parents were strictly against my decision. I had a very difficult time trying to convince them but now they are quite happy with my success and popularity,” she says. “And, now even Amandeep is trying her luck here,” she exclaims.

Dolly started her career, in the true sense of the term, as Raano with Kalash, a Balaji telefilms Productions’ weekly soap that was aired on Star Plus. But there were challenges galore before Dolly could figure in Ekta Kapoor’s card for the chosen role. “My very first project was ‘Yaar Bahut Tension Hai’, a weekly sitcom. Then followed two Ekta’s projects-one a Punjabi serial and another Punjabi film. But life was not supposed to be a cakewalk for me,” she said. Just as we wondered the reason for Dolly’s dismay she utters, “None of these projects of my initial years were ever aired.” But Dolly knew that every dark cloud has a silver lining so though disappointed by her jinxed efforts she continued struggling till Ekta signed her for her then upcoming venture Kalash, a story about the relationship shared by two sisters, aired on Star Plus. “Though I was a bit apprehensive after three failed attempts, the journey post Kalash was particularly smoother,” she beams.

And it was not long before Raano, the character she played in Kalash, dies in the serial with its culmination that she had a new Star Dopahar serial in hand’. “I played a frivolous college going girl in ‘Sanskriti’ that was aired from Monday to Thursday. After Sanskriti I worked on a Zee project, ‘Aati Rahengi Baharein’ which was not very popular and hence was taken off the air soon after its telecast,” she reveals. After this came the big break in another Star Dopahar soap, ‘Bhabhi’ where she played Saroj before the generation leap and now plays ‘Ammu’. But even getting this assignment was Herculean for Dolly. “Even after having done so many serials in the past, the director wanted me to give auditions for the role. But I did not want to compromise on this count. I showed them my CV and was selected for the lead role, Pushpa (Saroj), she says.

But Dolly doesn’t really relate to the character she plays in Bhabhi. “My character in Bhabhi is very impractical unlike me. She is extremely good and never thinks about herself which is just out of the ordinary and can happen only in fictions,” she grins.
Ask her if the newly married Bhabhi is ready to make the sacrifices she would be expected to make and pat comes the reply, “My husband, Avneet Dhanoa, has no issues if I continue acting. He has seen a couple of episodes of my serial and appreciates my acting talent,” she boasts.
In fact, Dolly plans to continue her acting spree even abroad! “I’ve some plans for abroad. It’s difficult to stay at home all day in a ‘stranger’ country. So, I might act in some Punjabi channels there or who knows I might even own a production house a few years down the line!” she beams.


Swati Pandey