From calling Bhabhimaa her elder sister to Karan, Nidhi, Ayush and Neha her TV children; Sonali Verma opens up about her bond with Yeh Rishta co-stars, her journey with the show and more

In a podcast, Yeh Rishta's Gayatri Singhania aka Sonali Verma gets candid about her journey in TV., From News Anchoring to acting, Sonali opens up about the transitions and her two favourite shows Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Rahe Tera Ashirwad. Talking about Yeh Rishta, Sonali shares her best memories and bond with the co-stars.

Yeh Rishta's fans and fame were completely different. But just before that I was doing a show Rahe Tera Ashirwad and I was Maa Durga in it. I was just in love with it. Shooting with the green screen and that whole divine vibe, I used to enjoy it. It was just another experience, I used to play so many different characters.

We were shooting at night in Film City at the most common temple that you see in all shows. And I was in the Maa Durga's getup. I was walking near the makeup van to keep myself awake. There were two women crossing early in the morning, they saw me, they fell on the road and they touched my feet and started crying. I was constantly trying to tell them I was an actor but that moment became a core memory for me.

I am in touch with some of them, they aren't my co-actors, but they have become my friends. Sandiip Sikcand had a big role in my acting career, he is a dear friend to me. My co-actors from Yeh Rishta, our bond is more personal now, nothing related to the show. Karan, Bhabhimaa, Nidhi, and Ayush, we are all in touch and we keep sharing our life updates with each other.

Yeh Rishta is a blessed show, the show is on even after our first season. People still love our season and they remember us. Rajan Shahi had a solid team and they knew what are they doing. There was no negative vibe on the sets, the team was amazing be it actors, writers, or creatives. Whoever got associated with the show has experienced success and blessings. Yeh Rishta, broke TV's style, with no extra zooming shots, there were no negative roles in the show. There would be negative situations but no vamps.

My favourite co-actor is Bhabhima, Medha Ji. I worked with her for 6 years, we used to share the same makeup room and she is like an elder sister to me. I have learnt so much from her, she has become a sister to me in real life.

I only watch Bigg Boss when it comes to reality shows. I get extremely invested in it that we can have a discussion on who did what on the show. I have been a big fan of the show. If I get an opportunity to participate I would love to but then they would have to relocate it to New Jersey. Apart from that on TV, I like to watch Kapil Sharma's show. It is light-hearted and we enjoy that time.

I loved playing Naitik Ki Maa, so all the kids Nidhi, Karan, Ayush and Neha, I call them my TV children so all of them are dear to me. I used to love the song Mehndi Rachan Lagi from Yeh Rishta, I feel the makers should release a compilation of the songs from season 1.