TV actor and model Aditi Shetty who is currently seen in Dharampatni and has been part of shows such as Bhagyalaxmi and 'Naagin 6', says that while the industry has come a long way, there needs to be significant changes in the payment structure.

“Equal pay for men and women is something that should be practiced in the entertainment industry, in fact, all the industries. All artists give their 100 percent and gender should not come in the way of equal pay. The industry is still a male-dominated industry. Also, I wish we actors could get paid like corporate employees, however, we actors get our payment after 90-100 days of shoot. The second thing I would like to change is the fact that we actors get typecast into a certain bracket. I wish the casting directors could be more visionary in terms of casting the actors and not just be based on their looks or previous roles but on how versatile they can be with different roles and acting skills, irrespective of their popularity on their social media handles,” she says.

Meanwhile, recounting her own journey, Aditi says that she has been quite lucky. “I started my TV career with Bhagyalaxmi on Zee TV. Within a year, I was offered to play an important role in the popular 'Naagin 6'. Once Naagin took a leap, my character’s track ended and very soon, I bagged Pyaar Ke Saat Vachan Dharampatni. I have been lucky to manage two shows at the same time thanks to Balaji Telefilms for the coordination and all the exciting opportunities.”

Talking about her role in Dharampatni, she says, “I play the role of Kavya Sachdeva in Dharampatni. The character started on as a grey character and the audience will now witness her interesting transition to a negative role. I absolutely love Kavya’s character. She has so many layers to her. She is unpredictable and full of life. Kavya is very passionate about the things she loves and can go to any extent to make it hers. She is in love with Ravi’s character, played by Fahmaan. She doesn’t love him for his status or money. In fact, it’s one-sided love, so she can go to any extent to make him fall in love with her. What I love about Kavya is that she never gives up and she makes sure that things work out for her by hook or by crook.”

Bhagyalakshmi has also been an important show for her, she says, “Ahana from Bhagyalaxmi is very special to me because it’s my first role in a TV show. It has a very different character sketch from what I play as Kavya in Dharampatni. Ahana is a cute, family-oriented girl. She always supports the right thing, even if it means taking difficult decisions and she has a great bond with Laxmi bhabhi. Ahana has been loved and very well accepted by the audience. I even received the Zee Rishtey awards for best behen for this role.”

However, ‘Naagin 6’ was a game changer, says Aditi, adding, “I am so grateful to be part of Naagin 6 and have been receiving some great opportunities from Balaji productions. I played Urvashi Dholakia’s daughter, Rhea Kataria. My character was going through a heartbreak in the show. It was a massive show and I got to learn a lot working with such experienced actors like Sudha Chandran Ma’am and Urvashi Ma’am. The audience loved my character, especially the cold war between Tejaswi’s character and mine was appreciated by the fans.”