After playing important characters in Udann and PavitraBhagya, Pratiksha Rai is currently seen as the antagonist in Dangal TV’s Nath – Zewar Ya Zanjeer. She has been playing the mean character of Kaajal with such conviction that her social media pages are often filled with hate comments. Not the one to take it to heart, Pratiksharealizes that these comments are a validation of her work. She says, “I get both good and negative comments. People write that I am extremely bad, as I have come between the lead couple (Chahat Pandey and AvinashMishra) and torture the children. I just want to tell them that I am nothing like Kaajal. I dote on kids. I am glad that people take the character so seriously and appreciate my acting. But I still have a long way to go. I am proud that people know me from my character and wonder whether I am like the character in real life. I am grateful for the opportunity.”
So, is she anything like her character? Pratiksha replies, “Everyone has a dark side. I am not jealous like Kaajal. My father always taught me not to compete with others and hence, I don’t feel the emotion of jealousy ever. Kaajal can go to any extent to achieve what she has set out for. While I can never be mean, I relate to her junoon of accomplishing her goals.”
Shooting for a daily soap can be quite challenging. Long hours at work leave an actor with hardly any time for personal chores. The actress agrees and adds, “You don’t get time to focus on your personal life. Recently, I shot for a heavy-duty track because of which I didn’t get time for my workout or even to call my parents. While working for a daily soap, you don’t get time to groom yourself, you don’t get holidays and you end up shooting for more than 12 hours. But you also get a lot in return, especially recognition. So, it is indeed difficult but one must learn to balance it with personal life.”
With such a demanding schedule, how does she unwind? “I don’t feel exhausted when I am on the set even if I am required to shoot for 12 hours non-stop. What makes the process smoother is my bonding with the cast and the crew. We have so much fun on the set that we don’t realise when time flies. Good sleep is enough to unwind and recharge my batteries.”
She also appreciates her association with Dangal TV. “Working with them has been one of the best experiences so far. They treat everyone equally irrespective of their years of experience and encourage us to do better. They keep in touch with us and treat us with love and care. It’s the most-friendly channel I have ever worked with,” she says.
