Television actors often go through long and intense working hours while shooting daily soaps. Sometimes, they don’t even get to sleep or go home until the shoot wraps. Shubhangi Atre had to go through something similar when she was working on Ektaa Kapoor’s TV soaps.
In a recent episode of Hauterrfly’s The Male Feminist, Shubhangi Atre recalled working six days nonstop for the TV czarina’s show, where she was playing the titular role in Kasturi.
Shubhangi recalled her long working hours, saying, “When I was working with Balaji, I wouldn’t get a pack-up for three days at a time. When I was doing Kasturi, I was there in each and every frame. It was like the show was telecast on the 24th and I was selected on the 21st. Ektaa Ma’am wasn’t liking any
of the girls, and replacements were happening one after another.”
Shubhangi had initially rejected Kasturi. She said, “I was doing Kausauti Zindagi Kay aur ek AP tha humara Abhishek jo aaya ki chalo chalo Ektaa Ma’am bula rahi hai aapko. Toh maine kaha nahi nahi tum ek hi show mein day night kaam karate ho, mereko nahi karna dusra show. Toh he said, ‘You can’t say no to Ektaa Ma’am.’ But that was a turning point of my life. 21st ko main select Hui aur fir seedhe mera pack up hua 27th ko. Vanity mein soti thi. Ek set se dusra set, make-up ke upar make-up.”
(She was working on Kasautii Zindagii Kay when an assistant director, Abhishek, came to her and said that Ektaa Kapoor wanted to meet her. She initially refused, saying she was already working day and night on one show and did not want to take up another. Abhishek told her, “You can’t say no to Ektaa Ma’am.” That, she said, turned out to be a turning point in her life. She was selected on the 21st and did not get a proper pack-up until the 27th. She recalled sleeping in her vanity van and moving from one set to another with “make-up over make-up.”)
Kasturi premiered in 2007, starring Karan Patel and Shubhangi Atre in the lead roles. It followed the story of a young woman whose life changes after she meets Robbie, a wealthy businessman. Kasturi went on to become one of the most popular Hindi television dramas of its time, and the series ran for over two years before ending in 2009.
Shubhangi was last seen as Angoori in Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain!, a role she played for nearly nine years before leaving the show in 2025. She also starred in the 2026 film Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain! Fun On The Run.
