The sweet aunt next door

She is known as the loud but lovable 'bua' of Kapil Sharma on the hit show Comedy Nights with Kapil. But Upasana Singh, who made the audience burst into peals of laughter and became a household name with the show, had many movies and TV shows to her credit prior to the fame she received as Kapil's bua. Although the show has ended, the veteran actor remains popular among the people of all age groups.

Hailing from the small town of Hoshiarpur, Punjab, Upasana says she always wanted to be an actor. "I was a huge fan of Helen during my childhood. I was so young that I couldn't even pronounce her name properly, but whenever people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say an actor like 'Hillin'," she laughs. "As I grew older, whenever I walked past someone, they would tease me saying, 'Dekho, heroine jaa rahi hai' (Look, a heroine is going)."

But, being extremely serious about her ambitions, Upasana took an  active part in all her school programmes. "I even worked with Doordarshan and did many plays on the radio. This was the time I learnt a lot of languages." She then went on to pursue MA in Dramatic Arts from Chandigarh University. "It was all thanks to my mother that my sister and I were able to follow our dreams. Back in the day, when girls were barely sent to school and everyone wanted a boy, my mother used to say, 'My girls are my boys'," she recalls nostalgically.

During a leisurely trip to Mumbai to see her mausi, Upasana chanced upon people from the entertainment industry and got her first big role in the Rajasthani film Bai Chali Sasariye  in 1988, which is one of the biggest films in Rajasthan till date. She did many other regional and Bollywood films like Ramwati, all of which turned out to be great hits. "Many people think that Babul  was my first Bollywood film, but that's a misconception. It was Upasana Khosla who starred in it. She was a very popular actor back then and many people even asked me to change my name when I entered the industry," she laughs.

Cut to the present, Upasana is known for her comedy roles in films like Judaai  (remember 'Abba, dabba, jabba?'), Loafer, My Friend Ganesha,  and more recently, Judwaa 2.  She is also remembered for her roles in serials like Son Pari  and Santoshi Maa. "I am so fortunate to have received great roles throughout my career. I have seen so much success that I don't consider this time as the peak of my career. Yes, I have gained a lot of popularity being part of Kapil Sharma's show but it's not like people didn't know me before that. Even now when I go on stage, people start chanting 'Abba, dabba, jabba'. It's the best feeling ever," she says.

Speaking more about her experience in Comedy Nights with Kapil, she says, "We had a set of dialogues, but even then, we had to deliver witty lines on the spot, especially when we had celebrity guests. Certain parts of the show would be decided beforehand, like a dance or two with the actors, but whenever we asked them a question, we wouldn't know what their response would be. So, we had to improvise accordingly."  

Currently busy with a few shows and looking forward to releases like Carry On Jatta 2  and Yeh Picture Pakistan Main Ban Hai, Upasana isn't too keen on daily soaps because those leave her with no time for movies. "Films are my first love. While the other mediums are something that people watch and forget, films always stay even if we are not around." Despite being known for her stage shows, she still gets nervous in front of a live audience. "My hands and feet become cold and I feel like a newcomer. But once I interact with the audience and get a response, I become a sher (tiger)," she jokes.

She loves her fans and never says no to an autograph or photograph. "Even when I go for stage shows with bigger stars, it's heartening to see people, especially children, approaching me for autographs. I can't thank my fans enough for making my dreams come true, for helping this girl from a small town to make it big in Mumbai," she signs off.