Unnati Joshi (BOMBAY TIMES; September 5, 2020)

The coveted list of The Times 20 Most Desirable Women on Television 2019 is out. Based on their popularity and votes of an internal jury, these gorgeous women, who have wooed the audience on Hindi TV shows, have grabbed a spot on this list. Hina Khan tops the list for the second consecutive year. The actress, who played the demure Akshara in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai for many years, was appreciated for her style quotient on Bigg Boss 11 and as Komolika in Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2. Excerpts from an interview with the actress:

This is your second year as Times Most Desirable Woman on TV. What are your thoughts on grabbing the top spot again?
TV has given me everything that I wanted and more. I have a lot of respect for the medium and all my contemporaries. I must say that the title of the most desirable woman on TV is quite intriguing, and I accept it with a lot of love. It’s like being called the most-dreamed-about girl (laughs!), who wouldn’t like that?

According to you, what are the qualities that make you desirable?
I think what connects me to my audience is the way I portray each character that I play. Mostly, these roles are very different from who I am, but I try to bring in the real me in them as well. Also, I put in a lot of effort in the way my character appears — the mix of real, probable, sexy and dreamy, and I think that makes me desirable.

Who, according to you, is the most desirable man and woman?
For me, the most desirable woman is Priyanka Chopra Jonas. She inspires me, and I am sure, millions get inspiration from her in ways that even she wouldn’t know. As far as the most desirable man is concerned, I really like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his subtleties, calm persona and his charisma.