14 October,2026 07:44 AM IST | Mumbai | Letty Mariam Abraham
Manasi Salvi
After over three decades on television, Manasi Salvi may be a seasoned actor, but new beginnings still give her jitters. The actor, currently seen in Dilon Ki Ram Leela, was on her way to Siddhivinayak Temple when she spoke to mid-day about embracing character-driven roles, staying relevant in a changing industry, and what her daughter Omisha thinks of her work.
Excerpts from the interview.
You've played protagonists since 1997 and later moved to grey characters. How conscious was that shift?
I've been lucky to have mainly played protagonists since 1997. Ageing is a difficult process, especially when you have a career on-screen. Understanding that early and making the right shift at the right time helped. With Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara [2012], I shifted to mother roles. Earlier, they weren't central, but television screenplays gradually started making them central [to the plot], so I gravitated towards them, and the run has been good.
Have you ever been approached to lead a mature love story?
In 2012, I gravitated towards maternal roles because my daughter was [just four years old]. I thought too much on-screen romance would be too much, so this was a safer bet. But now that Omisha is 18 and understands that I'm an actor, I'm open to all kinds of roles and mediums. When she [saw my older shows], she said I was chubby, and added, âI don't know how they gave you work'. She cannot believe I started work when I was 17. She likes my work. I'm glad she doesn't make a big deal of it.
How has the industry changed since the 1990s?
The shift is drastic. I may sound a little disappointed when I say that the respect isn't there as much as it used to be in the earlier era. In those times, actors came with a certain amount of training. We had actors from National School of Drama [NSD] and technicians trained at Film and Television Institute of India [FTII], so they came with a certain grounding. Today, we have a lot of amateurs wanting to join and make their mark. Sometimes, the decorum shifts from a more formal work environment to an informal one, and that is worrisome. I hope we can build a more gender-sensitive, emotion-sensitive, and professional atmosphere at work.
How was your equation with your co-stars on Dilon Ki Ram Leela?
Mishkat [Varma] and Aastha [Sharma] are wonderful people and bring young energy to the set. When you interact with them, you can make out that they've come from good families. It's nice to interact with like-minded people. Especially with Eijaz [Khan], because [our on-screen] brother-sister bond is strong. Most of the story is built on that bond. So it was important for us to be in tune with each other. Eijaz has become like my kid brother. He's wonderful and has done so much work across so many mediums and brings a lot of experience to the table.
How do you make each character look and feel distinct?
I keep two things in mind - my look and body language. I don't want any recall value of other work I've done, so I work on my body. I've lost a lot of weight for Vijaya [her character in Dilon Ki Ram Leela] because I want her to look a particular way. All my characters, from their body, look, and hair-and-make-up, are distinctive. You cannot mix two characters. That's the effort I put in. I love my work, and I love putting effort into it.
Despite three decades of experience, Salvi says she continues to face prejudice as a television actor. However, she remains proud of her work. "I'm not ashamed of being a TV actor. So many TV actors have made it there [movies]. One day I'll be there, but right now I don't want to ditch the medium that has kept me going for so many years"
