Ankita Lokhande became a household name with her debut show, Pavitra Rishta. She played the character of Archana Manav Deshmukh opposite the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, and garnered immense love for
her performance. We stumbled upon an old interview in which the actress reminisced about her extensive shooting days for the show, showcasing her tremendous dedication and commitment to her work.
In a throwback interview, Ankita Lokhande reminisced about her Pavitra Rishta days. She revealed that she went for the audition without much preparation, and the only thing she kept in mind was her grandfather’s plea to wear a bindi to follow her Maharashtrian roots. “I received a call to audition for Pavitra Rishta and went in without knowing much about the character. All I was told was that she was a Maharashtrian girl,” she told The Times of India.
Ankita Lokhande On She Bagged The Role For Pavitra Rishta
She continued, “I remembered how my dadaji would always insist that I wear a bindi, as it was part of our Marathi culture. In his time, girls would wear sarees and bindis from a young age, and he often asked my parents to encourage the same. Thinking of that, I wore a black bindi to the audition.”
Although the audition didn’t go well for her, the actress managed to impress the show’s producer, Ekta Kapoor, and what happened next turned Ankita into one of television’s most loved bahus. “The audition itself didn’t go very well, but somehow Ekta ma’am liked me. Within five days, I was finalised for the role and soon began my journey with Pavitra Rishta,” she shared.
Ankita Lokhande Recalled Extensive Shooting For Pavitra Rishta
In the same conversation, the 40-year-old then shed light on the extensive shooting for her debut show, to the extent that she even stayed on set for three months without going home. Talking about the same, the actress shared, “I have never worked as hard in my life as I did during Pavitra Rishta. There was a time when I didn’t go home for three months and stayed on the set, shooting day and night. This is the truth.”
“I once worked continuously on the Pavitra Rishta set for 148 hours, which became a personal record for me. I feel proud of it, as it’s a life experience and a story I can always share,” the actress added.
Further highlighting her dedication to her role, Ankita revealed how she survived on the sets. “On the set, a gents’ washroom was allotted to me, where I would take a shower and get ready for my scenes. At that time, my hairdresser, Asmita, would also help me by ironing my clothes. There were many times when I didn’t even have fresh undergarments, so I would wash the old ones, get them ironed, and wear them again,” she shared.
However, the actress is now grateful for her hard work, which paved the way for her immense success. “I spent those days entirely on the set, but every bit of it was worth it. Whatever I am today is because of that hard work, and I truly value my journey because of those experiences.”
Ankita Lokhande’s Recent Works
After Pavitra Rishta, the diva appeared in several films, television shows, and web series. More recently, she was seen in seasons 1–2 of the cooking comedy reality show, Laughter Chefs – Unlimited Entertainment.
