Kitu Gidwani, who was last seen in Madhur Bhandarkar's hit movie "Fashion", is returning to the big screen with "Hello Zindagi". Also a well known television face, she feels 'saas-bahu' soaps were a curse.

"'Hello Zindagi' is a lovely little film which talks about the life of a young woman and an older one. While the young one is spoilt and is into drugs, the older one is a doctor whose married life is not going well. The film tracks their journey as they find a new meaning to their life, " Gidwani told in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.

"It also deals with a sensitive and global environmental issue of conservation of Olive Ridley Turtles, which is finely moulded into the story, " she added.

Also with the actress in the film are Kanwaljeet Singh and Neena Gupta, who are teaming up more than a decade after the hit serial "Saans".

Reema Lagoo's daughter Mrunmayee is debuting with the film, which is also the first Bollywood directorial venture of southern director Raja Unnithan.

Having made a debut in 1984 in one of TV's first superhit shows "Trishna", Gidwani went on to make a mark for herself in the daily soap "Swabhimaan". She also has shows like "Air Hostess" and "Junoon" to her credit.

Last seen in the show "Kulvadhu", Gidwani has been out of the television circuit for a while.

Asked what was keeping her away from the small screen, she said: "Most of the work in television has become substandard in terms of writing as well as acting. We are an intelligent audience and they need to start respecting the audience more. Television seems to have got stuck in a strange time warp."

"It has turned into a money-making industry with less quality work. Thankfully, 'saas-bahu' serials have ended. They were a curse, " she added.

Despite receiving critical acclaim for her roles in the movie "Dance of the Wind", Deepa Mehta's "Earth" and Kamal Haasan's "Abhay", the 42-year-old feels more inclined to do theatre than films for creative freedom.

"Theatre always provides more creative freedom than films. Although getting the right role in films helps, it is very rare, " she said.