Saturday, July 21, 2012

Didn’t cash in on Anandi: Avika Gor

The fifteen-year-old Avika Gor, better known as the child-bride on Balika Vadhu, says she’s a workaholic, is set to enter celeb dance show.

Audiences still remember you as the child-bride Anandi. Don’t you think you should have taken a break after Balika Vadhu before taking on mature roles?
No, I never felt that. Young cricketers keep playing the sport from a tender age till they make it. They don’t take breaks. My relationship with acting is similar. I want to keep acting no matter what roles I get.

But having seen you play Anandi, isn’t it tough for the audience to set that image aside?
I realise that people, at times, can’t look beyond Anandi when it comes to me. And many people have told me I should have continued playing the grown-up character in the show. I didn’t because there were some intimate scenes, which I wouldn’t have been comfortable doing, as I was 12 or 13 at that time. I am playing a married 18-year-old woman in Sasuraal Simar Ka (SSK) on TV, but I haven’t done intimate scenes nor will I do so in the future. The writers on the show know I am 15, so if they want any such scenes, they will have to take a leap (laughs).

Child actors hardly get good roles once they grow up. Did you take up the grown-up role in SSK because you wanted to cash in on Anandi’s image?
There were several offers, so I didn’t need to cash in on Anandi. Fans who used to comment on how cute I was as Anandi on my blog, now send comments saying they love me as Roli in SSK. When it was offered to me, I knew it was a challenge. I had to play an 18-year-old girl and had to work hard on the body language and maturity of the character.

Now you have taken on Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa (JDJ) as well.

I always wanted to do JDJ, but I only managed to get a chance now. I am excited and not at all nervous about participating in it. I am confident and bindaas about everything in life. I am like a boy. I am not scared of anything and if I am unable to do something, my parents have my back.

What is the compulsion to take on so much work?

Why not? I get good opportunities and I can manage it. Moreover, it isn’t work, but fun. For example, a few months ago, I was shooting for Kalpana Lajmi’s Kaanch where I play a 14-year-village girl. I was also shooting for SSK simultaneously. Now that the film has wrapped up, I will be doing JDJ and SSK. Of course, I also have to deal with my 10th standard exams this year, but I know my capabilities.

Wild card

To spice up the celebrity dance show Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa, popular TV actors like Avika Gor, Eijaz Khan, Rashmi Desai, Drashti Dhami, Karan Singh Wahi will compete against each other next week to be part of the reality show. Only two will be chosen to join the show.

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