It’s a blessing to have so many people treat you like you are one of their own. It’s no other reason except, they are the reason why I am enjoying everything I have. “Anyone who knows me knows that I will oblige to anyone who comes up to me for an autograph or a picture patiently without complaining. But unlike other celebs who run away from them Haritha indulges everyone of them. At Zee Telugu, we are actually like a Kutumbam and we stick together in thick and thin,” says Haritha.īeing a household face, Haritha does get hounded by fans at least locally, especially when she is on her own time with her family. “It’s not just me, I treat them like my family because they treat me like I am theirs. We take care of each other’s needs and make sure they are alright,” she gushes. We are so affectionate to each other on set that we make sure each one is fed and is rested. “I have worked with them for so long that now we have a strong bonding.
She also believes that her crew is her family. With two kids and a loving husband, a supportive onscreen and offscreen family, Haritha believes she is the luckiest person in the world. “I love shopping and every chance he gets he takes me out shopping and I instantly unwind with him,” says the forty-something. He can tell when I am too stressed and he knows what to do when I am,” she narrates. It is definitely necessary to find family time away from work but we are able to find family time at work too as we are from the same business and it can’t get any better.” Jackie also knows his way around pleasing his wife, it seems. We laugh together, work together and take breaks together. “He is a funny man and knows me inside out. “Life is jolly with him,” she says chuckling.
Still blushing at the mention of her husband, just shows how in love she is with her life partner. Haritha’s husband Jackie, also a well-known TV star, being a part of the showbusiness knows the ups and downs that it comes with. Moreover, each daythat I go on set it feels like the first day all over again - the same excitement and the same drive,” she says The hard-work is not something that will reduce the fulfillment I get from the show. “Mudda Mandaram has one of the highest ratings on TV and to be a crucial part of it only makes me feel more important and responsible. But on the occasions when I might have to work through the night, my family, even my kids, are very accomodative.” Despite the long hours, Haritha finds it “a bliss” to be busy with Mudda Mandaram. Ideally everyone on set know that I prefer leaving by 6:30 pm on a work day and they work accordingly. However, showbusiness has not taken a toll on Haritha.
Working on a series for three and a half years and a thousand episodes can be gruelling, and more so for someone who has a bustling family, kids and all. My audience treat me as a part of their family and what more can an artist as for,” she chimes It only shows the penetration that the show has over those who watch it. “It’s a blessing to have these many people know me by my screen name. She is well-adjusted by her fame and her “name”. And now after Mudda Mandaram, I am more often called and refered to as Akhilandeswari.” And the mutiple identities do not leave her in any crisis. “It happens way too often,” she laughs adding, “My real name is actually Shanthi.īut after I turned to showbusiness, I took on the screen name Haritha. So much so that she is now recognised by her screen name more than her own. As a part of Mudda Mandaram for over three and a half years, Haritha is on the peak of her television career now in her early forties. Considering the love and the ratings that the show has, it is no wonder that the series recently completed a 1000 episode run and is still running strong. HYDERABAD: Haritha plays the role of Akhilandewari Ghattamaneni, a powerful and initimidating matriarch in the TV show, Mudda Mandaram of Zee Telugu.