Devoleena Bhattacharjee: My childhood struggles made me hot-headed

“My childhood struggles have made me stubborn in my life,” says actor Devoleena Bhattacharjee, recalling her growing up days without her father

“My childhood struggles have made me stubborn in my life,” says actor Devoleena Bhattacharjee, recalling her growing up days without her father. She lost her father when she was just 11 and saw her mother work hard to make ends met, while surviving the judgemental nature of the society.

Actor Devoleena Bhattacharjee is best known for portraying the role of Gopi bahu in series Saath Nibhaana Saathiya

“That was the phase which has turned me into who I am today. If I talk about the good points, then it has made me strong, fearless. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but now I don’t care about the society,” admits the actor, who first opened up about the hard moments of her life on national television through a reality show.

Admitting that she doesn’t really know if that works in her favour, or not, the 35-year-old adds, “Today, I don’t care ke log kya bolenge ya kya soch rahe hunge. Logon ke hisab se mujhe jeena hi nahi hai. My childhood struggles have made me so stubborn in my life that logun ke hisab se mein kabhi nahi chalungi. Main jaisi hun waisi if you like, then it is good, nahi toh tab bhi it is okay. This is who I am.”

She credits her struggle for shaping her personality, and zeal to excel in life. “I always thought that I would become something on my own, without anyone’s support. As a kid, I used to tell my mom that ‘Aap dekhna, I will make it big on my own’. And today with the help of everyone’s blessings, I have been able to do that,” says the actor.

Along with strong headed, Bhattacharjee confesses that it has made her hot-headed.

“Kahin pe kuch chothi se bhi galti dhikhti hai, toh mein frustrate ho jati hun. If I see anything wrong happening anywhere, then I get sad and get irritated. When I am angry, I say a lot of things. But I don’t mean them. At the same time, what matters is my actions after that. Also, I hate lies, and hate people who lie. This is my trigger point. Chothe se chotha jhoot bhi mujhse bardash nahi hota,” says the actor, best known for portraying the role of Gopi bahu in Saath Nibhaana Saathiya.

It was only recently, during the reality show, that she realised that the emotions are still alive somewhere inside her.

“I used to think that I have let go of my past and moved on. I realised that those emotions and feelings are still very vivid, and hurt me when remembered,” she says.

Trying to find a reason behind her subdued emotions, the actor observes, “Because when we were kids, we never used to share anything”.

“The whole concept of pushing people to share has just started. Today, we tell everyone that it is important to share and express, but uss time yeh sab kahan tha. In fact, even today, we can’t share openly because people are so judgemental. It is very difficult,” she adds.

So, what has she learnt from all the experiences? “It is to always be kind. That quality has come from my baba,” she signs off.