# Sukirti Kandpal

Sukirti Kandpal (born 20 November 1987) is an Indian television actress. She is known for her roles as Piya Dobrial in hit series Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani (2010-11), Dr. Riddhima Gupta in Dill Mill Gayye (2008-09), Debjani Thakur in Dilli Wali Thakur Gurls (2015) and Alia Shroff in Story 9 Months KI (2020). Her other works include Rab Se Sona Ishq (2012), Kaisa Yeh Ishq Hai... Ajab Sa Risk Hai (2013-14), Desi Explorers (2016), Kaala Teeka (2017) etc.

## Kandpal's quotes

* I had always dreamt of participating in a beauty pageant and I got a chance to live my dream. It was a very good learning experience. However, due to my hectic schedule, I did not get enough time to prepare for the Talent round. But I am happy as I won the Miss Bollywood Diva.
* It’s an honour to get a chance to represent my country on an international level. I will be wearing a sari in during the Indian round. Winning or losing the crown is immaterial for me as participating itself in such a coveted pageant is an achievement.
** On participating in Miss India Worldwide 2011 pageant
** On participating in Miss India Worldwide 2011 pageant Part-2
* Some shows get great numbers, others don’t. I don’t get panicky over it. If an actor can’t live with the cyclic nature of our industry, I guess he/she is in the wrong profession.
** On TRP of television shows
* Simran and Sukirti are not similar at all. I think the amount of the sacrifices that Simran has made may exist in other girls in real life too but I do not see myself in the same mould. I am a very reserved and a practical girl. However, I can relate to undying love, extreme emotions and the bubbliness of Simran. I have always preferred my work to speak for me than my relationships; I don’t want to comment on it. As far as marriage is concerned, I cannot think of getting married till the time I have achieved my targets. My parents got married when they were both 32 so I don’t think 25 years down the line, their kids are rushing into marriage anytime soon.
** On comparison with her character and personal life
* There is a certain confidence that a newsreader exudes while reading the stories in a staccato manner. Although my Hindi is good, I realised that the one they speak is chaste. I tried reading from the teleprompter at the set, but I felt that I need to polish my reading skills to make it sound as close to that of a newsreader's. Since then, I've been reading a lot of Hindi papers and watching news channels.
** Sukirti Kandpal on playing a journalist in Dilli Wali Thakur Gurls
* Firstly, my heart goes out to anybody and everybody who has been abused or harassed in their lives. However, I have never been subject to such an incident. I'm truly grateful to God for giving me a childhood with only childhood memories and nothing to scar it. Having said that, it's extremely sad that people go through it. This is an amazing campaign to raise everybody's voice against it.
** Sukirti Kandpal on #MeToo campaign
* I love reading books. In fact I have so many books at home that my mom has asked me not to purchase anymore. I feel books give a lot of knowledge and allow us to think from different perspectives. My all time favourite books are What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey and The Power of your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy. I like to read from fiction to philosophical all of them. The last book I finished reading was Adultery by Paulo Coelho.
** Sukirti Kandpal on #WorldBookDay
* My style icon is none other than Grace Kelly. She was not only classy but was also a fantastic woman who had a lot of grace.
** On her favourite style icon
* All the characters are very close to my heart. If I choose one, it will mean I have not given my 100 percent to all roles I have played in the past. I have not been biased towards any one role and I enjoy my work. In fact, even with Kaisa Ye Ishq Hai, I think our trips to Singapore have been memorable and fun.
** Sukirti Kandpal on her characters
* I have a very good handwriting, and when I was 15 year old I was selected from my college to be a ghost writer in the exams for this girl who had injured her hand. I received a pay check of Rs 2500 and was extremely happy.
** On her first pay cheque
* I am a completely carefree person. I don’t care a damn what people think. But the rumours affect the people I know. I remember a newspaper publishing something like that once when I was actually in hospital, suffering from a kidney stone. I was shooting with a drip in my arm, but nobody bothered about that. That’s another reason I am now putting the people who love me and really care for me first, instead of satisfying the media and the fans. Success is not just measured by what people think about you, but rather by what you feel. At the end of the day, if I am going to work really hard and feel empty inside, it doesn’t make sense to me.
** Sukirti on rumours and success
* I’d like to believe that in the two weeks that I was inside, I conducted myself with dignity. And I wouldn’t be remembered as a contestant who created a scene for TRPs.
** On her Bigg Boss-8 stint
* If I was in a 9-6 job, I would want to come home and see someone pleasant on television. I don't mean that someone has to be extremely gorgeous, but there has to be a pleasant personality. The moment you look at a flower you feel nice — that is exactly what beauty does to a person. With good looks, things surely become easier.
** On the need of good looks for success in industry
* I am not dreaming about Bollywood as of now but if I get a role in a film, I am open to doing it. I am not obsessed with the idea of being a part of Bollywood. I am happy with television. Television, today, isn’t just bread and butter; it is wine and cheese. TV actors are very well paid, happy and go abroad to spend their holidays. I do not just like TV, I love it.
** On Bollywood and Television
* I feel it is very important for a person to study as an educated person looks at things differently, is more sharp, sensible and has his own ideology.
** On the importance of education
* I was busy settling my own life, so it was a welcome break for my family and me. Before that, I had been saying more no's than yes's to the people who approached me. A lot of people told me that I wasn’t doing the right thing, but I think that as I matured, I have become choosier about what I want.
** On her 2 year hiatus from acting
* In today’s time, when the content on internet is so powerful, web series will be any actor’s preferred choice. In fact, so many artistes from the Bollywood industry are making their own home production and the participating in them. But I wouldn’t neglect TV either, because these series help an actor grow and evolve. Bollywood is the cream on top and is on everyone’s radar, but it depends on when you get it.
** On working in webseries

### On her shows

* Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani has given me the opportunity to explore as an actor and has won me lots of recognition and fame. I am grateful to the show. It has been a lovely journey till date. I love my director Partho sir who makes each day on the sets a memorable one. I also love my co-actors. In fact I love everything about the show.
** On Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani
* Being a part of the show, is nothing less than a compliment. This show has taken us all to a new height; we will miss each other a lot and hope to work with each other in the future as well. The show is going off air but something new will definitely come up for our fans.
** Message to fans on the ending of Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani
* I am excited about this role in Savdhaan India. I have never been a part of a project like this in my career. Saundarya was a complex character to play and I cannot wait to see the audience reaction for my work on the show. I would define my character in Savdhaan India as the ‘mysterious girl.
** On her role in Savdhaan India mini crime thriller series