Want the focus to shift from my husband to me: Keerti Kelkar

Popular television actress Keerti Gaekwad Kelkar says she is proud of the way her husband Sharad's career has shaped but as she is making a comeback, she wants the focus to be on her work now.

Sharad, who started off with TV, went on to star in several Bollywood and Marathi films. Keerti and Sharad tied the knot in 2005 and welcomed their first baby Kesha in 2014. The actress, who took a break from work, is returning to the small screen to play the new Simar in "Sasural Simar Ka" which is aired on Colors channel.

"I am very proud of Sharad. He has grown and become a fine actor. He does have what excites him. He tries to experiment and do different stuff. But now I want the focus on me and I have told him no more talking about your work, talk about my show and me," Keerti told.

"He has been giving me lot of tips. I hope I make him proud with this show (Sasural Simar Ka)." Family commitments kept the 33-year-old actress away from work and she has no qualms about it.

"There were some roles that came my way before this show and some of the offers were exciting. But I had no difficulty in saying no," she says. "Now my child is sorted, she has started with her school and the show and the character was good enough to say yes. I was ready to go to work now. I think this was going to be the show for me to make a comeback," she adds.

The replacement on the show Sasural Simar Ka comes after Dipika Kakar--the original Simar--quit the show apparently to concentrate on her personal life. "I am open for the comparisons as they are part of the job. I am ok with it. I like positivity around, I do not take anything negative to my heart. I will take criticism seriously and I will improve myself as I want to do a good job," Keerti says.

Though the character of Simar is already established, for Keerti the challenge lies in adding some freshness to it. "Dipika has established this character... she has done a great job. But the audience connects to the character. The character of Simar is very strong, she fights for her family. "I am patient and ready to work hard. I hope audience relates to the character again," she adds.

Without giving out too many details on how her character of Simar be like after the replacement, Keerti says there will be many twists and turns.
Keerti says she met Dipika recently and there was no bad blood. "I did meet Dipika a few days back and we met very nicely.

I could feel positivity from her, there was no bitterness or negativity. The show is starting on a positive note. I am not looking at it as a replacement but with a legacy that needs to be taken forward.