In a career spanning nearly three decades, Vandana Pathak has brought some iconic characters to life – be it the fierce Meenakshi Mathur from Hum Paanch or the gossip-loving Jayshree Parekh in Khichdi. Recently, the veteran actress wrapped up filming for another instalment in the popular Khichdi franchise.

She says, “The cast of Khichdi is like family to me. Working with them again made me realise that nothing has changed between us. In fact, on our first day, our shoot was delayed because we were so busy catching up with one another!”

Comedy has been a recurring genre in Pathak’s career, and having seen it evolve over the years, the actress says that the audience’s tastes have changed now. “The audience today is on the lookout for something fresh, especially with OTT offering all kinds of content. But makers are still serving them the same old stories. Even channels keep asking for content based on formulas that have worked in the past. Be it Khichdi, Hum Paanch or R K Laxman Ki Duniya, I did a lot of different shows even within the comedy genre. Makers don’t experiment like that anymore. Comedy is certainly not an easy thing to write and unfortunately, we don’t have good writers at present,” she says.

Having dabbled with both comic and negative characters, the actress says that while both require equal effort, comedy is extremely difficult. “Comedy is a serious affair. I still feel nervous before starting any show. Aaj bhi mere haath-paon thande ho jaate hain kai baar. Regardless of the genre, I always consider my characters as challenges because I don’t prefer to enact a scene in the same stereotypical manner that everyone is used to watching,” she says.