by Subhash K Jha

She's just moved into her dream house in Juhu. "I'm at heart as goofy a dreamer as Shanno, the wannabe bride that I play in Shanno Ki Shaadi. One of my dreams was to build this house. I've been putting it together brick by brick. And now when it's ready I feel so proud."

Shanno has been a totally relaxing experience for Divya.
"I do all these realistic films like Anant Kamath's Trisha (about baby-snatching from hospitals) and Prabhakar Shukla's Gudiya (about the war widow with two husbands who died recently). And then when I need to unwind I've Shanno. My chemistry with everyone –Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Kamini Kaushal and my co-star Vikas Bhalla – is so amazing. Shooting for Shanno Ki Shaadi is like a daily visit to La-la Land. Rajiv Mehra approaches every scene wth such unusual skills you forget the size of the medium. And just enjoy what you're doing. And the viewers' response is so amazing and so positive."

Divya Dutta has done only three serials so far, the trend-setting Kadam on Sahara (where she played various true-life characters) and Vinta Nanda's Sansar. She feels tv is a rewarding medium.

"But only if done sparingly. I've done three serials and I've enjoyed each one to the hilt. I can't see myself doing 23 dailies. It'll burn me out. The trick of being liked on the home medium is to remain exclusive."

Divya is all praise for her romantic lead Vikas Bhalla in Shanno Ki Shaadi.
"We flirt, laugh, joke and pull each other's legs all the time. I think it's very important to jell with your co-star in a serial. I don't think Shanno would've worked so well if it wasn't for my chemistry with Vikas. I've done films where co-stars have made my life miserable," she grimaces, not naming Diya Mirza and Ayesha Jhulka with whom she had bitter experiences on film sets.

Shanno according to Divya is a lot like her.
"We're both extremely goofy and clumsy. Gestures such as me constantly sniffing and rubbing my nose have made the character so endearing to the audience. I love the challenge of doing comedy because on the large-screen I'm perceived as a serious actress. It's fun to escape into the fairy-tale world of Shanno."

Strangely Divya's most memorable characters have been Shanno on tv and the similar-sounding Shabbo, Preity Zinta's exullient maid in Yash Chopra's Veer-Zara.

"And now in my new Punjabi film Waris Shah (which is the most expensive film in that language) with Gurdas Mann I play a character called Sabo."

She smiles at the mention of Gurdas Mann.
"We've done four films together. Our first Punjabi film Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Boota Singh was a super-hit and since then we've become quite a pair."

Along with a new home, Divya now moves into a new feature film directed by Manish Gupta with Irrfan Khan and Om Puri. But she loves the tv medium as well. "I like going back-and-forth from one to the other. And as long as I get something as strong and unpredictable as Shanno I've no problems doing television."