As a debutante, how did you bag the lead role in Balaji’s Bayttaab Dil Kee Tamanna Hai on Sony?
I’m originally from Assam and moved to Pune during my college years. A fashion designer by profession, I wanted to try out my luck at acting as well and my parents also encouraged me to do so. So when I heard about the auditions for a new show by Balaji, I sent my photographs and got a call from them.

Given that Balaji often auditions scores of people before finalising on one actor, were you nervous?
On the contrary, I was quite confident. My first audition went very well and somehow, my gut said that I will be the one to bag this role.

Tell us about your role on the show.
Shamoli is an ambitious girl who has witnessed so many hardships that they have made her bitter. She is a small town girl who comes to Mumbai to fulfill her dreams but gets taken for a ride. Circumstances worsen and she is forced to live in chawls or on the footpath and survive on other people’s leftovers. That has an enormous effect on her and money becomes the centre of her being. She does everything possible to become rich so that she can avenge herself. At the same time, she doesn’t forget her family and can fight any evil that threatens their happiness.

Is the show another rags-to-riches story?
It’s not just another rags-to-riches story, but that is the basic concept. The role isn’t as simple as it might seem. To prepare for it, I had to live in the chawl for a few days. I even roamed the traffic signals during hot afternoons. And so that I can get an idea, my producers also had me watch movies like Traffic Signal and Slumdog Millionaire.

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