Humbhe! This leitmotif of Imarti Devi has become synonymous with Hema Singh in the show Kairi: Rishta Khatta Meetha. Hema Singh breathes life into the role of the mother-in-law from Gwalior who gets her way by being sweet and shrewd. The role seems tailor-made for her and she does full justice to Imarti Devi, raising her eyebrows and twitching her lips at just the right moments. But did you know that she was first offered the role of Ammaji in Na Aana Iss Des Laado?

The veteran theatre actor and grade A professor of voice and speech training at the National School of 

Drama was offered the role of the tyrannical Ammaji in 2009 but she had refused it. The reason that she 

had given at the time was that she did not have time to pursue acting in a daily show while continuing to 

teach at the NSD. Hema Singh's loss was Meghna Malik's gain as the role went to her. 

Hema Singh's stint at the NSD continued but TV came knocking at her doors again and she was offered the role of Imarti Devi. “I was asked to audition for the role of Imarti Devi. I auditioned in casual clothes 

in a small room. And almost immediately I got a call that I had been selected. That's how I came to 

Mumbai for this show”, remembers the actress.

Seems like every role is destined for a particular actor. This is why after refusing the role of Ammaji, 

Hema Singh took a two year leave to become Imarti Devi. And she's loving it. She says,”I learn a lot of 

new things on the sets. I took up playing Imarti Devi as a challenge and I am enjoying it thoroughly.”

That's great news for fans of the show Kairi, as it means Hema Singh will continue to play Imarti Devi 

for a long time to come!