No, they’re not a real life couple

By now, Ajee Sunte Ho’s lead couple Satish Sharma and Pranauti Pradhan are used to people assuming that they are off screen man and wife too. They have even learnt to have fun with the speculations and retort when faced with the questions every now and then. In a freewheeling chat the two talk about what makes them click on the non-fiction show and how they’ve come a long way from being complete strangers.  Excerpts from the interview.

Is it true that you took a lot of time to break the ice with Pranauti?
Satish: Yes, I am an introvert. I believe that every relationship has an aging period and with time the equation changes. On one particular flight with her during an activity, I slept for six hours and did not speak to her. This gave her an impression that I was being mean to her. Whenever she asked me something, I just gave her a polite smile.

So Pranoti, how did you manage to ease Satish up?
Pranauti: I did not try very much. I am a very relaxed person and don’t get attached to things too fast. It happens gradually with time. We both took steps to move ahead and gradually eased up and started rocking the show.

Looking at your on-screen chemistry, people often confuse you to be real husband and wife…
Satish: I think our energy levels are at par and it is this energy that drives our chemistry on-screen. This helps us a lot. We are thorough professionals and it is not at all an awkward when people call us a real couple. Yes, we spend time with each other off screen, that is why it reflects in our scenes as well.
Pranauti: We are professionals and I take it as an achievement if people think we are real husband and wife, because that’s what we are working to show. I believe that if not friendship then at least a good professional rapport should be established at least so that it reflects in the scenes.

Pranauti, have you told Satish that you have been losing out on good marriage proposals because people think you are married to him?
Pranauti: [Laughs] I haven’t told him yet. I am not dying to get married, just waiting for the right time and right person. But I do always tell Satish that if I don’t find a groom, then I will pack my bags and ask him to find a groom for me.

How does your wife react to these comments, Satish?
Satish: This is a very interesting question. Well, she does not lose sleep over it. She snaps back though, at me when I call her Sharmaine (which I call Pranauti on the show). She tells me to not get Ajee Sunte ho... home!

Has any real life couple managed to intrigue you so far on the show?
Satish: We recently shot for an episode themed around punar vivaah, where the re-married couples narrated accounts of their first marriages that were troubled and also the difficulties they are still facing with their children, who end up depressed. One of the wives cried her heart out stating that she is a helpless mother who cannot meet her child due to the laws and the custody being given to her ex-husband. I also have a 10-year-old son and I could totally connect to her emotions.
Pranauti: There was a couple that got married against their family’s wishes and were still not accepted by them. We were making fun of their situation but then things got serious.

How do you guys deal with intimate scenes?
Pranauti: We are good actors so it is not difficult performing such scenes. The script has never demanded intimate scenes as such.
Satish: There was a little hesitation during the initial days from my side as I am very shy in nature. But as actors we have to shoot everything that the script demands.

One thing that you like and dislike about each other…
Satish: One thing I like and dislike about her is her energy and enthusiasm. It’s always high. There are times when that is great, but you know how it feels to meet someone who is perked up when you are down?
Pranauti: He is a very dedicated actor and an innocent and pure soul. I really like that about him. Initially I resented the fact that he has always acted as a teacher to me on the set, always suggesting how I could enact a scene differently. But I gradually began to appreciate and value that.  

So, who gets all the gossip on the sets — you or her?
Pranoti: Both of us.
Satish: Yes she is right, we both are competing for the title of gossip king and queen respectively.

 Rapid Fire
Your favourite corner on the set
Pranoti: PCR Room.
Satish: My seat.
 
Your favourite food on the set
Pranoti: Home-made food.
Satish: My salad.
 
Your 2 am buddy on the set
Pranoti: Our director Pankaj.
Satish: Yes Pankaj, is the man for us even in the dead of the night.
 
Things you cannot do without on the set
Pranoti: My mobile phone.
Satish: My boy, Nirmal.

Your favourite line on the set
Pranoti: Toh lete hai aathva vachan
Satish: Toh lete hai aathva vachan  

Your stress buster on the set
Pranoti: Laughing all the way.
Satish: Listening to old songs
 
Your dream date
Pranoti: None till now.
Satish: My wife.
 
Your first crush
Pranoti: Kumar Gaurav.
Satish: My first teacher.
 
Your wildest fantasy
Pranoti: Top secret.
Satish: Growing old on this show.