‘I want to be called Anandi forever’

She started her acting career at age 10 as Anandi and became a superstar overnight. Avika Gor talks to Sangeeta Yadav about her new show Lado 2-Virpur Ki Mardani and how she worked for six years in Sasural Simar Ka

Tell us about your role in Lado 2?

I play Anushka, a law student. She believes that she can change the world. Like Ammaji, she is a strong and confident woman and both share a great chemistry with each other. Anushka goes through many tough situations which baffle her but she takes a stand. The way she takes care of the family and stands by her beliefs is going to be very interesting to watch out for.

Did you prepare yourself to play a law student?

No, not at all! Unlike in films, we don’t get much time to have a workshop for preparation. For South films, I had workshops, language training and much more before we started shooting. Whereas in TV, everything happens in a very short span of time. Howeverm it doesn’t affect my acting ability. I was selected for the role at the last moment followed by a promo shoot in three days and we just went on the floor. When one does TV, we all have to be prepared all the time. But if you are going wrong on the sets, the director helps.

How is this character different from other that you have done?

People used to look up to Anandi and Roli as an ideal beti, bahu and patni. They were very well-behaved and family-oriented women. But I was not able to relate to these roles as I was very young at that time to essay them. I was 14-year-old when I started playing 20-year-old Roli in Sasural Simar Ka (SSK). I had to work on Roli’s body language. But I can completely relate to Anushka. It is simple for me to be myself in reel life.

What was the most challenging thing for you to do in this show?

As an actor, you have to always be prepared  — to become any character — that the showmakers want you to do. You have to become that person. But to be myself and make things simple and talk normally was difficult.

What was the reason behind sustaining for six years in SSK?

I was working for just eight days a month as I was shooting for south Indian films. So SSK was not like a daily soap for me. It ran for so long and was a hit was purely because of the team and the fun we had on the sets. From showing naagin, Paatali Devi or any other supernatural being to killing my character or getting married to somebody else, the audience enjoyed watching all that and it gave us high TRPs. There were many sequences in the show that were laugh out loud moments. But we did them since it was part of our job even if we, personally, were not convinced with the idea.

How did the makers manage to shoot when you were there for such a short time?

The scenes were written in a manner that I was not required for a lot of times. The makers used to shoot that with my body double whenever I was not available. The makers used to taken care of everything. During the eight days shoot, I used to finish 20 scenes a day and give only close up shots. It was quick to shoot but we never compromised on the scenes.

Do you have body-double in Lado 2 as well?

Yes. I have to ride a scooty which I don’t know how to operate. We used body-double. It is very normal to have body-double these days for TV shows.

SSK started on a different note and ended being something else…

I remember giving my first interview and saying it’s a very lighthearted show. I put the foot in my mouth for saying that because within two weeks, I was the one who got married to my brother-in-law. Whatever happened in the show was very sudden. This show was different. There were supernatural elements and my character died because of thetrishook getting into my stomach. People wanted to see such extreme drama that is why they liked watching SSK.

When you look back to Balika Vadhu that made you popular, how does it feel?

When I said yes to the show, I didn’t even know what I was getting into as I was just 10-year-old. I had no idea about TRPs. But the show completely changed my life and it will remain fresh in my memories forever. It has made me what I am today. It is very important for me to called as Anandi. Many people still do that. I feel I own that name now.