After a five-year break from television, Neha SK Mehta — best remembered for her role in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah — has returned to the small screen with Itti Si Khushi. “I was working on a web project, but that got postponed, and I suddenly found myself with time. That’s when I got a call for this role,” she says, adding, “When I heard the narration, it felt like the universe was giving me a platform to do my net practice before the next innings - my OTT debut.”

Ask her about her long gap and she says, “I did get offers, but I said yes only when something truly resonated with me. I’ve learned not to be greedy for money but good work.”

For years, audiences associated Neha with her portrayal of Anjali Mehta in Taarak Mehta..., a character she played for over a decade. Does she find it hard to break away from that image? 

“Not really,” she says. “People still take autographs, calling me Anjali, even on the new set. And I take it as a compliment. That character gave me so much love. But as an actor, you have to keep evolving. Just like in life, you keep changing with time.”