I was cast in a significant movie ‘Halad Rusali Kunku Hasale’, which defined my early career and was my turning point. Nilu Bhau was one of my co-actors; he is a renowned name in the Marathi film industry. The shoot was scheduled in the interiors of India’s Maharashtra state for almost a month. As soon as I reached the location, I was shocked to see where I’d be staying. We had to survive in makeshift rooms with no proper arrangements. I was furious to see it all, and refused to check-in. While I was standing across my room, I saw Nilu Bhau coming out from his room. He was smiling as ever with a composed look on his face. He came towards me and greeted with great enthusiasm. I shared my concerns with him and he very thoughtfully calmed me down. I was at once struck by his humility; if a man of that stature can stay in these conditions who am I to refuse. I immediately checked-in, but to my dismay my make-up artist and hairdresser ran away after looking at the hotel. I took the reins in my hands and did my own make-up and hair every day, without help. I even fainted on the set once because of the exhausting shooting schedule in those conditions. That day I learnt that you have to push yourself to reach somewhere. I give the entire credit to Nilu Bhau, who made me stay back. Had I given up on this film, I would have missed out on a great opportunity and wouldn’t have been rewarded and recognized so phenomenally in the entire Maharashtra state for that film.

WATCH THE SONG HERE

The song Aja Ve Mahi from the movie Henna was a turning point in my career. That song received appreciation and accolades globally. After the release of the movie, I was doing a show in London called Mega Artistes’ Show with some of Bollywood’s renowned and veteran actors. Since the song was extremely popular I opened the show with Aja Ve Mahi; with a bang and it garnered much admiration. After the successful event, I was strolling on the streets of London and went shopping at Harrods. While I was shopping, suddenly from nowhere 4-5 heavy built bodyguards appeared in front of me. They told me that their boss wanted to meet me so I need to go along with them. I was completely taken by shock and surprise encountering such gigantic men. I tried asking what the matter was and in that very moment came a beautiful lady. She was very tall with deep black expressive eyes wearing a scarf on her head. She was svelte and poised. She told me she was my huge fan. Due to the security reasons, she couldn’t meet me at the hotel. Somehow, she tracked me down and came to express how much she loved me and my Aja Ve Mahi number, especially that day. She presented me a huge gold diamond ring as a token of love. That was one of the most pleasant experience in my life. I was so elated to know that I was recognized globally and loved by all.

WATCH THE SONG HERE

I was a part of a historical play called Raja Sanyas. It was based on Sambhaji. Yashwant Dutt was playing the role of Sambhaji and Mr.Janardhan Sohni was playing Kabji, the advisor. I was essaying the role of Tulsi, the love interest of Sambhaji in the play. We were enacting the play in front of hundreds of people. In one particular scene Tulsi (my character) goes to meet Sambhaji in the enemy’s hideout. While they are together he recites a poem appreciating her beauty. He makes her sit on a bench and he sits on a chair opposite her. As soon as he sits on the chair it breaks and he falls down and gets stuck in the chair. It was a very crucial moment for us. Without leaving my character I moved forward to help him giving the impression to the stunned audiences that the particular scene was a part of the script. While I was trying to save the situation at that very moment, Mr.Janardhan said, ‘Dekha yeh dushman ka elaka hai yaha kuch bhi hosakta hai,’ and I immediately continued with my dialogue and so did Mr.Yashwant. All of us held the play with great poise. Neither did we give the audience a chance to mock, nor did we stop our performance. With great presence of mind we managed the show. As the popular saying goes, ‘The show must go on.’

I was shooting at RK studios for one of my favorite films. The hallway of the studio had a large antique mirror. On one of the days after getting ready for my shot, while walking down I looked at myself in the mirror. I felt like a princess because of the glamorous outfit and radiant make-up. I still remember the amount of hard work invested in the movie, I used to get drained while shooting because of the heavy outfit and extended working hours but the satisfaction of working on something so worthy completely balanced it. After the long and taxing shoot that day; I got back to my room, quickly changed into my regular outfit and removed my make-up. While I was leaving the studio, I randomly glanced into the same mirror again. The shift in how my image now appeared was immense. At that moment, I realized the meaning of ‘Never forget who you are.’ Never forget from where you have come, appreciate everything, and be grounded in your roots. That has been my key to success—it was my epiphany! I was so moved by this little episode that I also wrote an article on it. You can read the excerpts of the article in the blog section. I would be very happy if you guys gave it a read.