Veteran actor Usha Nadkarni was last seen in the digital redux of the popular TV show Pavitra Rishta. However, she has been away from the TV screen for a while. Ask her why and without mincing her words, the 75-year-old says, “Bhikari log badh gaye hain.”

Explaining her sentiment, Nadkarni adds, “Everybody wants people to work for cheap (amounts), which I don’t agree to. I tell them to find someone else. Every actor is different and has their style. I know what I bring to the table. I have my style. If I am not getting the money, I might as well rest at my place. So, I call these people bhikari, who offer me work, but no money.”

Nadkarni, a renowned face in the Marathi industry, reveals she often gets called to slam her price: “There are so many people who come to me and ask me to work at a lesser price. When I tell them my budget, unko dhadak-dhadak hota hai. I am not somebody who entertains drama. And if somebody disrespects me, I leave the conversation. Yes, I do want to work, I cannot live without acting. But only if I get good work and money, otherwise I’m happy at home.”

On a parting note, Nadkarni also opens up on why she didn’t visit her co-star Ankita Lokhande’s wedding in December last year. “I was shooting on both the days till late night. Kab jaun shaadi mein? Jabse hum Pavitra Rishta kar rahe the, she would ask, ‘Aai, aayegi na? Main boli, ‘Kuch nahin hoga toh aaungi.’ Lekin nahin ho paaya,” she ends.