Shweta Tiwari is striking a fine balance between acting in the TV serial Kasauti Zindagi Ki, her stint with Bhojpuri films and her latest show Jhoom India where she will exercise her vocal chords as a singer, even while she is looking after her daughter Payal.
Excerpts from an interview:

What made you accept the offer to play the leading lady in a Bhojpuri film?

I was fascinated by the fact that Bhojpuri language is a tradition to adapt, not just a language to learn. What I like about Bhojpuri language is that it is a culture in itself. When you watch my latest film in Bhojpuri – Kab Aibu Aanganwa Hamaar with Manoj Tiwari as my leading man— you will be able to identify yourself with the villager in the village.

What is your role in the film?

I play the role of a middle class girl called Naina who is besotted with the hero who is a loser in the film and fritters away his energy instead of getting some job to fend for himself. Kab Aibu Aanganwa Hamaar directed by Sanjay Tripathi is a clean, family drama and I am proud being part of the film, which by the way is being distributed by Rajshri.

Is it true that you ended up bruising yourself while cycling for your scenes in the film?

It was not easy preparing myself to get into the skin of Naina. I was required to cycle, but after trying a few times, I realised that cycling was not my cup of tea. I ended up bruising myself badly by falling off the cycle even though Manoj very sweetly offered to teach me cycling.

How tough was it for a non-Bhojpuri girl like you to work on your role in the film?

It was quite a hard work to learn all my lines in Bhojpuri by heart and then mouth those lines in front of the camera after understanding the meaning and the nuances of the sentences. We were shooting in sync sound which was a big challenge for the actors. One day while shooting, I was almost on the verge of giving up because I just could not concentrate on mugging up my lines and remembering the language which I do not know. I felt ashamed when my co-actor Krishna Bhat told me that though he was a South Indian, he had made it a point to learn the language to prepare himself for the role. I felt that since I belong to Allahabad, it was shameful on my part to give up.

How was your experience of working with Manoj Tiwari?

It was indeed a great learning experience working with a big star like Manoj Tiwari who has absolutely no airs about him. Manoj never behaved like a super star though he is one. He was like a guardian to me, especially during the shooting when I was undergoing some personal problems and missing my daughter Payal who was in Mumbai.

Is it true that you had earlier produced a Bhojpuri film?

Kab Aibu Aanganwa Hamaar is not my first attempt at acting in a Bhojpuri film. I made my debut with a Bhojpuri film called Hamaar Saiyya Hindusthani with Ravi Kissen as my leading man. I had produced the film too. I am acting in yet another Bhojpuri film called Ye Bhauji Ke Sister. Manoj Tiwari is playing the leading man in the film with me once again.

Are you contemplating acting in Hindi films too?

People ask me why I am not interested in acting in Hindi films. It is not that I am content working in only Bhojpuri films. I have always believed in destiny. If I am destined to do films in Hindi, I will certainly act in Hindi films. I am actually keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that I am offered meaty roles in good films by big banners. Till then I am happy with my role as ‘Prerna Bajaj’ and my track in the serial Kasauti Zindagi Ke.

Tell us something about your new show Jhoom India!

It is a very interesting concept by Sahara One based on the reality format from the Zodiak television called Stars On Stage.
In this show, ten different soap stars will be coached by popular playback singers to sing and perform on the stage in front of a jury and LIVE audience. Each performance will be a duet where the soap stars will perform alongside their mentors- the singing stars. I cannot sing for nuts though a versatile singer like Suresh Wadkar is my mentor in the show.
What is nerve-wrecking about the show is that I have to sing in front of Shabana Azmi, Anandji and Mahesh Bhatt.