If you have ever wondered where soap opera stars get their uber glam clothes from, simply head to Sector 17. Find it hard to believe? Well, that’s where on-screen couple Shaurya (Ather Habib) and Varsha (Pooja Joshi) from the popular television serial Dabur Vatika Ye Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai spent their Saturday stocking up for the wedding of the protagonist, their shy and demure sister Akshara. But wait; is this grand wedding for another vamp obsessed, jarring sound-effects inspired serial? “Not at all!” informs the lively actress. “Our intention is to show our traditions, culture and ethics through positive characters, who of course, have their shades of grey. But , we are not regressive in any way.” We heave a sigh of relief as the petite Delhi girl dressed in a blue saari charms us with her cheerful nature and alluring smile. What made them select the city over the rest of the country? Ludhiana’s hunk Ather is prompt to reply, “I’m Punjabi and being from around here, knew this is a great place to shop.” The list includes phulkari sarees and lehengas from Meena Bazaar, traditional jewellery for the bride from PP Jewellers and sweets for the family from Sindhi Sweets! This sure will be a wedding to remember.

That was for the camera. We’re curious to know what goes on behind the scenes. “Don’t ask how many hours we shoot a day. Ask us how much of a break do we get?” laughs Ather. “The work is hard, but great fun. To get into this industry you need a lot of luck, but there’s no success without any effort,” he smiles. But are the characters anywhere close to reality? “I don’t behave this way in real life,” admits Pooja. “The story is fictitious, but the way of depicting it is authentic. A lot of research goes into it and even we get to learn new aspects of customs that we wouldn’t know otherwise.” Ather agrees that this is why the audience relates to the show. “Since I come from a small town, I feel a lot of what is shown actually does exist,” he states. Any plans for Bollywood? While Pooja is happy being a ‘good bahu’, Ather is up for the big ticket. We would love to chat some more but wedding shopping requires a lot of time, so we guess it’s best to catch them on Sunday at 10:00 am on Star News. The show is aired from Monday to Friday at 9:30 pm on Star Plus.