Shivani Raghuvanshi: Many similarities between Jazz and me

Shivani Raghuvanshi in Made In Heaven

There's a certain innocence to Shivani Raghuvanshi, much like her on-screen character Jazz from Made in Heaven. She agrees that her ability to relate to Jazz's journey made it easier to essay the part of the newbie in the wedding planning company who is guileless and naive, yet fiercely ambitious.

"There are many similarities between Jazz and me. She is a West Delhi girl who wants to fit in with the South Delhi crowd. But she holds on to her value system. There's an idealism to her, and yet, she makes her share of mistakes and grows up in the course of the show," analyses Raghuvanshi, noting that her role is developed as a sharp contrast to the show's protagonist, Sobhita Dhulipala. "Jazz wants to make it big, but she can't pretend like Tara [Dhulipala's character]."

Looking back at her audition for the Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti series, the actor jokes how she thought she was aptly dressed for the part of a girl who hails from a low-income household. "The casting guys told me her dressing is blingy because she comes from a certain section of the society. I thought it's a Zoya Akhtar show. How poor can her poor be anyway!" she laughs. "For the audition, I wore something that I had bought for a cousin's wedding, but had not ended up using it. But the casting guys found it too tasteful for Jazz."

The youngster remembers walking out of the audition mighty pleased with herself - after all, she had performed two crucial scenes from the narrative to perfection. However, she did not get a call-back until a month later. "I thought that I had probably not bagged the part. Suddenly out of nowhere, the casting people called and asked me to meet Zoya. It's a huge deal for someone like me to be cast in a Zoya Akhtar show. Anurag Kashyap casts newbies, but the [popular] perception is that Zoya and Karan Johar will never do so. I am a huge fan of Zoya and wanted to live up to her expectations."

With her easy charm and ability to slip into her character so seamlessly, Raghuvanshi became an instant favourite when Made in Heaven dropped online. Tell her how her performance was widely appreciated, and she laughs, "I am extremely critical of myself. I always think I can do better, and that's what season two is for - to improve Jazz."

Cast your vote for the Hitlist Web Awards

Shivani Raghuvanshi has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor (Female) category for Amazon Prime's Made in Heaven. The other nominees are:

. Rasika Dugal (Delhi Crime; Netflix)
. Priyamani (The Family Man; Amazon Prime)
. Amruta Subhash (Sacred Games S02; Netflix)
. Nidhi Singh (MOM; ALTBalaji)
. Navni Parihar (Little Things S03; Netflix)

Made in Heaven enjoys seven nominations, including Best Series, Best Creator, Best Actor (Male), Best Actor (Female), Best Supporting Actor (Male), Best Supporting Actor (Female) and Best Writing.

There are 14 categories that the public can vote in. Log on to www.hitlistwebawards.com to cast your vote.

You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c/d as on the website) to 57575.

Voting lines close on March 8.

More About Made in Heaven

. The shoot for the second season of Made in Heaven kickstarts in April.
. Shashank Arora and Shivani Raghuvanshi, who worked together in Kanu Behl's critically acclaimed film, Titli (2014) reunited for the Amazon Prime show.

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