Rashami Desai says she has changed and it’s not a realization that came overnight. After years of non-stop work, travel and emotional investment in her career, the actress admits she is finally noticing parts of herself she never had the time to acknowledge.

“It has changed me. I am not the same person anymore. Maine apna bachpan aur jawaninahi dekhi, sirf kaam kiya hai. There is a void in my life in a certain emotional part if I see,” she says.

That awareness, she explains, didn’t come from introspection alone. It emerged while she was listening to others — couples, friends, partners — talk about love, trust and vulnerability. Rashami is currently hosting a conversation-based chat show titled Rashami Ke Dil Se Dil Tak, a role she says made her confront her own beliefs about relationships.

She is seen in conversation with celebrity couples. “If they have cried, dil se aansoo nikla hai. That conversation became so real that before they left, we asked them if they were okay with keeping it — and everybody said yes,” she says.

The show has pushed Rashami to unlearn what she thought she knew about love. “I had created myths and charts in my mind about love and friendship. It doesn’t happen like that. You have to trust each other and flow with it,” she says.

Despite being well-connected in the industry, she says getting guests wasn’t always easy. “I don’t take anybody for granted. Even my best friend didn’t come twice after giving dates. That’s when I realized — everyone has a choice.”

Spending time with couples has also stirred a longing she didn’t expect. “Now I feel that having your person in life is beautiful. I would definitely want to have that feeling — where you can be yourself, vulnerable,” she says.