Actress Ankita Lokhande is back at Archana in the new season of her popular show, ‘Pavitra Rishta 2.0’. The first season of the show got her immense praise, and this season also brought in with itself a huge amount of curiosity among the audiences, wanting to know what is going to happen next. “Yes, we shot for both the seasons back to back,” begins Lokhande talking about this new season.
They shot the entire two seasons amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and the ‘new normal’ restrictions. “When we were shooting there was not much talk about Covid at that point of time. The situation was quite suitable to shoot together but yes, we still used to follow all the rules and regulations. We used to wear masks and took all the necessary precautions,” says Lokhande.
Talking about playing Archana after such a long time, she says, “I think people have loved me as Archana always. The last time I came back as Archana, the audience was most excited then because they had not expected me to make a comeback as Archana. However, this time at least they were expecting that the second season might come. The promo of this season is looking much better than the first season. I am also getting reviews that confirm that. I think the whole feel of ‘Pavitra Rishta’ has changed and this is different from what it was earlier. I feel that people will really enjoy the show.”
Over the years, people have loved the onscreen chemistry between Archana and Manav, a character that has been played by numerous actors and is currently being played by actor Shaheer Sheikh. “I think I love Archana so much, it just comes automatically. It is natural for me,” adds Lokhande talking about the onscreen chemistry.
Lokhande has in previous interviews mentioned that she always tends to get really attached to her characters. She had even begun crying on the sets the very first day when she returned to play Archana in Pavitra Rishta 2.0 season 1. “That is just how I am. I am an emotional person and I don’t really feel bad about it. I feel there is nothing wrong with showing your feelings to people. In fact, I think that one needs to be very strong to show your emotions. People usually hide their emotions,” says Lokhande.
But people have also complained over the years that Archana never speaks up or stands up for herself. Is that going to change in this new season? “Yes. Archana is different in this season. Of course, she is still what she was earlier but she will be speaking up for herself this time,” opines Lokhande.
Talking about the show Sheikh had said that the character of Manav, which he now plays, is too good to be true. “Actually yes. In fact, I feel both the character be it Manav or Archana are too good to be true. She is seen to be compromising for others. On the other hand, personally, I am not a very compromising person. I personally will never compromise my love for somebody else but yes the characters are like that. However, this time we have tried to keep both the characters very practical. We have tried to make them like the modern-day Archana-Manav and make them look like normal people and not like gods,” says Lokhande.
Lokhande also got hitched last month, to her long-time boyfriend Vicky Jain. Does she find Vicky Jain having any qualities which Manav possesses? “Yes of course. In fact, he is totally Manav. If not totally, he has several qualities of Manav in him. He is a very good husband, and a good son-in-law,” she feels.
Speaking about if life’s changed after marriage, she says, “Till now it is the same as it used to be. I don’t really know about the future but as of now everything is the same and I am very happy.”
One thing that all her fans loved about the wedding was the numerous photos that Lokhande used to share on social media. There wasn’t any aspect of the wedding functions which were not seen by the fans as everything was shared on social media, in form of some beautiful pictures. But does Lokhande find social media difficult to keep up with? “No, it is very natural for me. I keep posting anything. I don’t really think about anything before posting my photos or videos. I feel that when I am posting something on social media, I am doing it for myself and for my close ones. I am not posting it for everyone. I think one needs to think practically and not worry about everything. You can’t really keep thinking about what a person is saying or thinking. I enjoy my social media.”
Also, when she gets trolled for any particular thing on social media she just ignores it. “I don’t really do anything about it and that is how I handle it,” says the actress.
Now that we have been seen Lokhande on OTT for quite some time, what’s her take on the entire digital boom in Indian filmmaking? “As an actor, I have always performed be it on any platform. I never thought about this but yes, of course, the quality improves and it is like working on a cinema. I think the process is also different. Here you get the script beforehand and you get time to read it, whereas on TV you get the script on the day of shooting and you have to do it then and there. In OTT you get the necessary time to create something good,” feels Lokhande.
But will we see her back in films after doing some great work in films like ‘Manikarnika’ and ‘Baaghi 3’? “Yes, of course, you will get to see me in films very soon. You will get to see more from me very soon. That is all that I can say for now,” concludes Lokhande.
