My Journey So Far...

Ambitious, determined and hardworking, that’s how I describe myself.

Dance is my passion, and I have been performing stage shows from the age of 5. A trained Bharatnatyam dancer, I never thought of acting in films, till my first encounter with the camera in FTII, for a documentary film, when I was 14. It was then, that I realised, that all I wanted to do is acting.

My journey has had its difficulties, as I hail from an Army background and my father expected me to follow suit. Moreover, I had no connection or source to guide me in the industry. But I decided I would rather fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed, than; succeed in a cause that would ultimately fail. Hence I got my first portfolio done and started circulating my pictures and giving auditions at various production houses.

I was completing my junior college in PCB (Science) from Fergusson College, when I got an opportunity to participate in a city based beauty paegent ‘Dreamgurlz 2005’, hosted by Residency Club. I was fortunate to have gone through a training session for a week, provided by the club. They taught us how to walk, how to talk and how to be presentable on stage.

The contest boosted up my confidence as I won the 1st runner’s up and 5 sub-titles (Miss beautiful smile, hair, skin, Miss Talent and Miss Heritage). Most importantly it opened a new door for me to explore myself- in the world of modelling.

Soon I did my first print advertisement for one of the biggest brands- Reliance India mobile, (August-05).
And then for Pune IT Mall, Ace bikes, Idea cellular……

Simultaneously, I was also giving auditions for TV serials and films. And one fine day, I got selected to play a crucial role in a Marathi daily soap Ha Khel Sanchitacha for ETV Marathi (2006). I played a Kathak dancer, for which I had to learn the basics of the danceform, learnt a lot from my co-stars and also the language- Marathi, which I wasn’t fluent in.
After six months the daily soap was taken off the air, but bagged me a major role in a comedy ‘Gadhavacha Lagna’, starring Marathi superstar Makrand Anaspure. The film released in January 2007 and I got noticed. But getting noticed was not enough. My dreams were higher, my capabilities inexplored. Till now, I was struggling throughout just to get a single opportunity to prove my talent. And at a point, I had almost given up.

Do miracles happen?

Life sometimes refuses to fit in the jigsaw…the jigsaw of a perfect moment. We wake up
with the delusion of making things up. Things that are far beyond a visible site of our awakening.
But my life found the perfect fit in the jigsaw of that perfect moment. Yes, miracles do happen! It happened to me when I needed it the most and perhaps, expected it the least.

Kedar Shinde, an acclaimed Marathi film director, signed me to play the protagonist in his first female-oriented comedy ‘Bakula Namdeo Ghotale’. After a lot of hardwork and patience, the film released on October 12, 2007, and my work was appreciated tremendously. It gave me a lot of recognition and established me as an actor. My first film, with my first major role won me my first nomination in one of the most prestigious Award Ceremonies, Zee Gaurav Puraskar-2008….and I won my first award as Best Actress, everything happened miraculously.

I am still waiting to unfold my wings and fly, but as they say, ‘he who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run…’