Pranali Rathod, who became a household name as Akshara from Rajan Shahi's Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, has come a long way. Before making it big as Akshara, the actress played a variety of roles from positive to negative. Recently, Pranali joined ETimes TV for an exclusive chat and opened up about her journey in the industry, facing rejections and her inspirations while growing up.
"Before entering this industry for the first year, I only gave auditions because I knew where the auditions would happen. But I could not travel alone for the auditions as I was young, I would go with my mother. I would travel from one location to another in the sun. I did all that for one entire year. I struggled for one year to bag my first project. There was a point when I only got rejected and I was demotivated. I felt this was not meant for me, I was very demotivated. But my family taught me one thing to not give up because of rejections, they told me instead to learn from them. You should work on yourself and take those rejections positively if you want to be an actress. Thanks to my mother, father, and my family, I could reach so far in life," shared the actress about the rejection phase.
When asked if she always planned to be an actress Pranali said, "Since the very beginning of my childhood, I wanted to become an actor, I had that acting ka keeda in me. I grew up watching films and during my school days I would actively take part in dance, drama and even did theatre in college."
She further spoke about her family's support, "Somewhere the family knew that I wanted to join this field but my father wanted me to complete graduation first. He was very sure that I finish my education first and then can choose any career. I did BMM (Bachelor of Mass Media) and the first year, and I gave full attention to my studies during the first year but in the second year, I started giving auditions. My family was very supportive and I am very happy and grateful about it."
Pranali has always managed to bag versatile roles. She impressed one and all when she took up the challenging role of playing a stepmother in Kyun Utthe Dil Chhod Aaya. She was paired opposite a much older Yash Tonk and in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, she romancing Harshad Chopda, who is 13 years older than her. The actress credits her co-stars for the on-screen bonding and chemistry, "I think it comes very naturally and I am an extrovert by nature and I love talking to people, new people. I think bonding becomes natural and thick as time passes. And we have some amazing people on the sets, everyone is so good. Touchwood with all the people I’ve worked with so far has been amazing to work with and has been so warm. So apne aap connection baith jaata hai."
Pranali feels blessed to have bagged some different roles without getting typecast, "All the roles I’ve done so far in my career, I don’t regret any of them. I have reached so far in my career because of all those roles. I have learnt some or the other thing from each of the roles that I’ve played and because of all of them, I am able to play Akshara today. I have different emotions from different characters."
The actress also talked about her inspirations whom she looked up to while growing up, "I loved watching movies growing up. I watched films like Dil Toh Pagal Hai and Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi ma'am are my favourite actresses. I love watching old movies. They have been my inspiration."
When asked if she is ready to work on OTT or does she have reservations when it comes to doing bold scenes, "There are few things I am comfortable doing on-screen, but there are few things that I am not. But I am open to work and if I find content, which is extraordinary, and I feel from inside that I want to do it, I won't mind doing it," concluded Pranali.
1/8:From Smriti Irani to Gauahar Khan: TV actresses who worked during their pregnancy
<p>With every passing time, women have proved that they can handle their personal and professional lives simultaneously, even during pregnancy. These leading actress of Hindi television are a great example and inspiration of the same. Gauahar Khan, Disha Vakani, Bharti Singh are some of the actresses who worked through their pregnancy. Here’s a list of TV actresses who worked will their last trimester so that their work doesn't suffer.</p>
2/8:Gauahar Khan
<p>Gauahar Khan, who announced her pregnancy in December last year, is working full time while handling her personal life perfectly. The actress is not only shooting for an OTT show with Rannvijay Singha but has also hosted several award shows recently. The actress has broken many pregnancy related stereotype and has inspired many women.</p>BCCL - Non Copyright
3/8:Smriti Irani
<p>The actress-turned-politician became a household name after her role of Tulsi in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The actress worked till the very last day of her pregnancy and entertained fans with her on-screen performance. Not many know that she shot even on the day of her marriage. The show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was on-air 8 long years.</p>BCCL - Non Copyright
4/8:Gautami Kapoor
<p>Gautami Kapoor, who replaced Smriti Irani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, was also pregnant while shooting for the show. Her pregnancy was announced on the last day of her shoot for Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.</p><p><br /></p>BCCL - Non Copyright
5/8:Disha Vakani
<p>Disha Vakani, who is popularly known for her on-screen portrayal of Daya in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, also worked during her pregnancy. Daya worked till her third trimester and later went for a maternity break. To justify her on-screen role makers showed that she has gone to stay at her mother’s place in the TV show. Daya was blessed with a baby girl in 2017 and has also been blessed with a boy last year. She has not returned back to television ever since.</p>BCCL - Non Copyright
6/8:Anita Hassanandani
<p>Anita Hassanandani revealed that she was pregnant while shooting for Naagin 5. However, she managed to keep it a secret from everyone on sets and nobody got a clue about it. Once she made the official announcement, she posted a picture from the shoot of Naagin 5 recalling how time flew so fast and nobody got to know anything about her pregnancy. She wrote, "Initial days when no one had a clue Dammnnn time is flying by ....#MixedEmotions also #MoodSwings."</p>BCCL - Non Copyright
7/8:Pooja Banerjee
<p>Pooja Banerjee, who is making headlines for her role in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain 2, worked until her third trimester in Kumkum Bhagya. She continued to shoot and broke many pregnancy related myths. However, the actress had reduced her working hours to assure her health and everything is in the right place while she continues to shoot for a daily soap. She even revealed that she likes to shoot rather than staying idle at home.</p>BCCL - Non Copyright
