Vaibhavi Shandilya on Devkunwari in 'Chhatrasal': It was really difficult; I had to do a lot of research

Vaibhavi Shadiya (Photo/PR)

Actress Vaibhavi Shandilya, who has worked down South in several movies and in Marathi films, has now won the hearts of the audiences with her portrayal of Devkunwari in 'Chhatrasal'. The talented actress is also a fitness freak in real life and keeps her fans updated on social media with the latest pictures from her workouts.

The actress time and again enthrals the audience with her mesmerising looks and captivating performance. Vaibhavi is seen playing the role of Devkunwari, Chhatrasal's first wife, in the series. In an interview with us, Vaibhavi speaks about her journey in MX player's 'Chhatrasal'.

Did you undergo any special training or read about some relevant material because playing historical women characters is a great responsiblity?
So I'll be honest here! I did not know much about Chhatrasal Maharaj or even Devkunwariji, but when I went for the audition and after I got selected, I read about them in-depth about who exactly Devkunwari was and I had to prepare a lot emotionally, mentally because being from today's generation and trying to catch up or match to the understanding of a warrior princess, of a lady who is so brave, a lady who is made so many sacrifices in her life and basically knowing all the reasons behind whatever decisions had taken in her life because this is not a fictional character, this is a character which has lived a real-life 400 years back. So it was really difficult, I had to do a lot of research on the internet and read a quite of books on Chhatrasalji's life or even Devkunwariji's life.

The historical drama genre is usually filmed on the big screen. Did you change your approach considering that the show would release digitally?
I believe this is the very first time in the history of the Indian entertainment industry that a historical event is coming up as a web series on the OTT platform because before this we have always seen TV serials and movies coming up of any kind of historical events. So the liberty that we had was to give justice to all the characters, to all the stories, all about their lives that what kind of struggles they have had so that we could just portray it as best to our capacity.

How was your experience of working with the talented cast around?
I believe having good actors working with you in the same venture really pushes your ability to perform better. I remember there were a few days that I did not have shooting and I still use to go on the set to watch Ashutosh Rana Sir and Neena Guptaji ma'am so that I would know why these actors are like the intelligent actors of Bollywood, so it really helped me to know as an actor to enhance your character what steps could be taken.

The actress has several projects in her pipeline and is currently enjoying the applause she has got for her performance in the series.

Also Read: Ashutosh Rana opens up about playing the infamous Aurangzeb