On the small screen, actor Niki Aneja Walia is a name to be reckoned with. Niki, who has been part of iconic TV shows such as Baat Ban Jaye, Andaz, Sea Hawks and Gharwaali Uparwaali, is known not just as a fine actor, but also for her uncanny resemblance with actor Madhuri Dixit-Nene, which, when pointed out even today, makes her smile.
“I get compared to Madhuri all the time. I take is as a compliment. In fact, I sometimes even get [to hear] that I look better than her,” she laughs. In fact, the actor has had a discussion around this with Madhuri, when she met her years ago. “Aeons ago, I was invited for this award ceremony in Delhi for my show Baat Ban Jaye. Madhuri was also invited for Dil To Pagal Hai (1997). It so happened that we took the same flight. She was with her mother and I was with my mom. And four of us started discussing how similar we looked,” Niki recalls.
So, when asked what conclusion they finally reached, Niki quips, “The first thing Madhuri said was ‘You are the one people compare me to?’ I was like, ‘you too’? And we both laughed and started comparing our features but failed to find any. And on the other hand, both our mothers were going on with ‘haan, smile to same hai’. My mom added that my eyes were bigger than hers and I was taller. But the best compliment I got was that our natures were similar, too. Madhuri is a very warm person, who treats her staff very well. Also, very polite and humble as an individual.”
Meanwhile, Niki, who was last seen in the show Astitva, is back on the tube after over a decade with Dil Sambhal Jaa Zara, where she plays the role of Laila Raichand. “What attracted me to the role is the character. To describe her in one word — she is flaky as a person and by that, I mean she is inconsistent. While one moment she is angry, she would be seen laughing high pitches at the next moment. Also, she is a strong-willed woman like me,” she adds.
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