After taking a “deliberate” break from TV for a year, Pavitra Punia returned to the small screen with Ishq Ki Dastaan Naagmani, making this her second outing in the fantasy genre after Baalveer Returns. In a chat with us, Pavitra spoke about her fascination with fantasy shows, playing the villain on screen and answers the question everyone is asking her these days — when will she marry her boyfriend Eijaz Khan (Bigg Boss 14 co-contestant).

Since last year, I have been flooded with offers for Punjabi music videos. Especially since so many Bigg Boss couples have featured in them, Eijaz and I also got approached. But somehow it hasn’t clicked yet. Besides, as a couple we are very clear about what we want to do and not sign something just because others have done it.

Everyone is always asking us about our wedding, but honestly, we are as good as married. When you have lived with someone for long, you stop looking at each other as boyfriend, girlfriend. But when we will officially announce ourselves as husband and wife in a ceremony, is not in our hands. We have been planning since last year that we will do it this year and this year also we are planning the same. Our wedding will be very instant because we have such packed lives. We are trying hard to figure out where to fit our wedding in our schedule!

Marriage is a very big thing for both of us. We don’t want to get married by taking three days off and then resuming work. We want to enjoy the phase where we can indulge and feel the butterflies in our stomach that, oh my God! We did it! As a couple we are featuring in a project together. Although we get many offers, we don’t like many of them. We have a lot of professional integrity and want to work where we give each other equal respect.

This new show is very different from the Naagin series (Pavitra has also featured in Naagin 3). If the producer is writing any show, it’s because the audience wants to see it. One thing though is for sure that saas-bahu shows are not going anywhere. Even fantasy genre has a touch of saas-bahu. Fantasy for me is very Hollywood, very English. It’s like doing a Game Of Thrones kind of show in India (laughs).

I am doing two Bollywood films, besides web projects and TV. I took one and half years off from television shows, sitting at home to deliberately break my image of being a ‘TV actress only’. If not a main heroine, I would like to be a parallel lead in Bollywood, but in web films I have to be the main lead.