Contract marriages don’t exist in India: Dimpy Mahajan

Dimpy Mahajan, who has just made her Hindi TV serial debut in a naagin role, talks about acting aspirations and life after marriage to Rahul Mahajan in a freewheeling chat with Roshni K Olivera
You’re playing a naagin in Sunil Agnihotri’s Kahani Chandrakanta Ki... What prompted you to take this up? Naagin Jwala is the central character who’s back to take revenge. This is my first Hindi serial on TV.I have done a couple of Bengali fictions earlier. When I was approached for this role, I took it up as I thought this will add to my range. Also, we have noticed that in the past the character of a naagin proved to be lucky for actors. So here’s hoping that my character too brings me some luck. And down the line even I become, if not a Reena Roy or Sridevi, something close to that. Fingers crossed!
So you aspire to be a film actress? I want to be an actor whether it’s film, TV or theatre. The medium doesn’t matter, I just love acting.
When you got married to Rahul Mahajan in a reality show on television, people said the marriage for you was a stepping stone to the world of entertainment. If that was the case, I wouldn’t take two years to start working. Marriage cannot be a stepping stone to anything!
How did modelling happen to you? I always wanted to be a swimmer. I even did national level swimming, but then at 16, modelling happened. Later Jishu Dasgupta, a very senior director in Kolkata, offered me a lead role in a serial. I was scared to take it up, but after a lot of pep talk from him I landed up on the sets and fell in love with it. Now I don’t know how good or bad I am at it, but everytime I hear the word ‘action’ there’s a chill of excitement running down my spine.
What does Rahul have to say about you getting back to acting? Rahul was always eager that I get back to work after we got married, but I wasn’t ready. The marriage brought about a lot of changes in my life and I needed time to cope with them. Also, I thought it was important to give our marriage some time, considering the circumstances we tied the knot in weren’t normal. Now I think I am in a comfortable place and have everybody’s support.
Do you miss your privacy? Right from your marriage to the subsequent domestic issues that you had... it’s all been out in the open. Of course I miss my privacy. But I have no complaints because we also get a lot of love from people.
How are things now between Rahul and you? Things are good, thanks to everyone’s blessings. People had said that this marriage would not last. In fact they said this was a contract marriage! In India there’s nothing like a contract marriage.
Both of you have had to work hard to make this marriage work? Marriage in itself is not easy. Everyone has to work on it if you want it to last. Marriage is like sky-diving — untill you dive, you don’t know what it’s all about. Rahul and I have been working on our relationship and we are in a happy place today.