Director and creative producer Mitu met actor Sweta Keswani during the casting of Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki (KGGK) in 2001. The former was casting for the role of Avantika in the show, and Sweta was one of the five shortlisted candidates. In fact, Mitu says that she was convinced that Sweta would not take up the role as it was nothing like the glamorous roles she had played before.
“She was not sort of a Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki kind of actor. I mean, it was not that she would not get the part, but I didn’t know if she would want to do it. I narrated the role to her, as I had done to the other four people we had in mind. I didn’t think she would do it considering her glam image and the fact that we were doing a homely show. But she surprised me by saying yes and I was like, ‘Woahhh!’. And the next day she came for the shoot, all happy and peppy, and it was like warmth had walked into the set,” says Mitu.
Their association has completed 21 years. “From being at a professional level we have slowly become good friends, I would say she is more like a family to me. She shifted abroad but we are still in touch. Our children are friends too,” adds the content creator.
Sharing the fond memories she has of KGGK, Mitu says, “We became a close knit family. We laughed together, cried on each other’s shoulders, even partied together. Keswani introduced me to a lot of her friends who have also been very kind to me now. One very fond memory I have with Sweta is that once we had some major issues at work and that day, she was angry with me and I was angry with her too. And, we were yelling at each other and in the night around 8 pm she called me and asked if I would want to meet her and was like okay and everything was fine. That is also a defining factor of our friendship. There was a time when she wanted to quit the show and I used to tell her everyday why will you leave the show? Then something went wrong in my life and before she could, I quit the show.”
According to Mitu, the best thing about Sweta is that she is a warm and embracing person.
“If she really likes you she will go out of her way to make you feel comfortable. Every day she used to bring extra lunch for us. Her friends are like family to her and I am happy that I’m a part of her circle. So, it feels wonderful to catch up with her after four years. We are looking forward to working together, we are in talks for something. Let’s see how it goes. She is one of my favourite people in the world,” she ends.
