After two years of successfully weeping and smiling her way into viewers' hearts, Avika Gor takes a bow as Anandi in daily drama Balika Vadhu. Audience votes will decide who replaces her. Meet the two girls who are fighting tooth and nail to bag the part
After two years of successfully weeping and smiling her way into viewers' hearts, Avika Gor takes a bow as Anandi in daily drama Balika Vadhu. Audience votes will decide who replaces her. Meet the two girls who are fighting tooth and nail to bag the part
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Television's youngest bride is growing up. About time. But there are two contenders to play the young adult version of Anandi in popular daily soap Balika Vadhu: Nivedita Tiwari and Pratyusha Banerjee. There's a third competitor too, Ketaki Chitale, though for some reason, she doesn't seem as forceful in the reckoning as the other two.
While the date for Anandi's makeover on air is between July 17 and 20, the girl playing her will be finalised on location in Rajasthan only next week.
As of now, Tiwari, Banerjee and Chitale are unaware that their interaction with the rest of the cast of the daily is being recorded and studied. Says a source from channel Colors, "Avika Gor as Anandi is so deeply entrenched in the viewers' minds that any girl who plays her must first look comfortable with the character and the rest of the cast."
What if?
The duo will be flown to Rajasthan to shoot with the rest of the cast before it's decided which of them will take over from Gor.u00a0
Both girls are already a study in diplomacy. Tiwari, a literature major who comes from a family of academicians in Lucknow, says, "If Pratyusha gets to play Anandi, I'd be happy for her. I'll just have to look for other opportunities. But at the moment, I'm concentrating on getting Anandi's role and making the best of it."
The 20-something who aspires to make children's films someday, says she was always interested in the fine arts. "I sent my pictures and was selected. Maybe they were looking for someone fresh and innocent and I fit the bill."
Banerjee, who comes from a joint family in Jamshedpur and has longed to get into acting for years, is far more giggly and less solemn than Tiwari. The 19 year-old who has been in Mumbai for five months, says, "I haven't thought of anything beyond Balika Vadhu. If I don't get selected, I'll start looking for other work. But my family would be disappointed. They're all looking at me as the next Anandi."
It might be interesting to note whether the channel will finally train its guns on the supposed underdog, Ketaki Chitale. Well, we'll be watching.
Catch Balika Vadhu from Monday to Friday, 8 pm on Colors
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