After television, Ridhi Dogra has been exploring other mediums. In the last couple of years, not only did she foray into the OTT space, but has also managed to bag interesting roles in films.

Ridhi, who’s been a part of TV shows like Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak? and Savitri, did her last fiction show Qayamat Ki Raat in 2018, before she took a break to make her web debut with Asur: Welcome To Your Dark Side, followed by The Married Woman. Given that some TV actors have taken a break to change tracks in the past, we ask Riddhi what makes this break mandatory.

“I think that’s because we don’t have the culture of agents in our country,” she says, adding, “Ideally, when you tell an agent about changing the medium, they guide you and tell you what to do. But, here you are on your own. It is your process, and you decide what you want to do, which requires time. I decided to work on myself and my craft and become a stronger artiste. I always say I am my own product, my own start-up, and I have always believed that whatever success I get, waqt se pehle na kisiko kuch mila hai, na milega. I believe in shukar and sabar.”

Talking about how OTT helped her get into films, she says, “I got my first film, Lakadbaggha, because of Asur. I give OTT a lot of credit. I have a purpose in mind about what I want to do as an artiste, and I need the means for it. I don’t know what I would have done if OTT had not come along. I think I would have changed professions.”

Excited to be a part of big-budget commercial Bollywood films like Jawan and Tiger 3, Ridhi says, “These projects gave me an opportunity to work with actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Deepika Padukone, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif and directors like Atlee and Maneesh Sharma. It was extremely gratifying to work with them. When you are on a journey, it’s nice to see these people, who have probably reached the pinnacle and are still grounded and authentic.”

Riddhi’s professional transition began at a time when she got divorced from Raqesh Bapat in 2019. “I was giving so much of my time and energy to that relationship at the prime of my career. I got out of the marriage and then shifted the focus on myself, which is why the change happened. OTT happened because I took charge of who I am. I consciously decided to stay close to my family members when I am in the city. I need to live close to somebody I love. Otherwise, yes, it can get lonely,” she says.

Is she open to investing in a new relationship, or does she want to focus on work? She answers, “A relationship takes that focus away from my work because I am a little too giving. I like making a relationship my centre. And I do it willingly, it is not like I am forced to do it. I want to crack the balance where I am able to give everything to my work and also my relationship. My relationship is not my whole world, and neither is my work… I want to strike that balance.”