Gunjan Chaudhary
Television actress Smita Bansal, best remembered for playing the dignified and compassionate Sumitra in the popular show Balika Vadhu, has opened up about the struggles actors faced during the early years of television. Recalling a time before vanity vans, makeup rooms, and basic on-set facilities became standard, the actress revealed how performers, especially women had to work under extremely challenging conditions.
Smita Bansal
Smita Bansal Recalls the Days Before Vanity Vans
In a recent conversation with one of the media houses, Smita Bansal reflected on how drastically the television industry has evolved over the years. The actress shared that today’s newcomers enter an industry equipped with comforts and conveniences that were once considered luxuries. “Nowadays, there are different levels of vanity vans, but back then, nothing of the sort existed. Such facilities were considered a luxury.
Smita Bansal
Youngsters entering the industry today have everything set up for them beforehand, so they don’t have to face the struggles we did in our time,” she said. Having witnessed both eras of television, Smita admitted that while she now requests a vanity van during shoots, she can still adapt if such facilities aren’t available. “We have seen both eras. I do ask for a vanity van now, but if one isn’t available during an outdoor shoot, I can manage. We belong to the breed of actors who can work under both conditions,” she added.
Smita Bansal
One of Smita’s revelations from the interview has left many fans stunned. The actress recalled an incident from the shoot of a horror show when there were no proper changing rooms available for the cast. “Once, while shooting for a horror show, we had to change clothes in an open jeep. We put up curtains around the jeep on the set and changed inside it because there were no chairs or makeup rooms available. We felt that using the jeep was a better option than going behind a tree to change,” Smita shared.
Smita Bansal
Her account offers a glimpse into the lack of infrastructure that actors, particularly women, had to deal with during outdoor shoots. While changing spaces were a concern, Smita revealed that the absence of restroom facilities was one of the biggest struggles female artists faced at the time. According to the actress, when shooting took place in residential areas, villages, or narrow streets, the cast often had no choice but to request access to strangers’ washrooms.