Not easy being a soap star...
Our talk moves towards money. Which is inevitable, considering the stories about huge salaries, big investments and buying and selling of property dominating the media.
"Bigger production houses are more professional, and the pay scales are better," says Sampada. "People in this profession are paid very well -- per episode or per day. Payments depend on the production house as well as which channel your serial is aired on. Some are paid Rs 5000, some Rs 40,000 a day. There are also rumours about top TV actors taking home between Rs 50,000 and Rs 70,000 per day.
Huge salaries also mean bigger lifestyles. "There are a lot of expenses," admits Sampada. "I spend Rs 5000-10,000 a month shopping in India. When abroad, it could be anything between Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 1,50,000."