New Delhi [India], August 1 (ANI): From winning hearts as Anandi in the TV show ‘Balika Vadhu’ to taking on challenging reality shows and films, actor Avika Gor says she now wants to be remembered for powerful performances and is consciously choosing roles that offer substance over mere screen presence.
Speaking to ANI, Avika, who is set to return to the stunt-based reality show ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi 15’, said she has become more conscious about selecting scripts that offer substantial performances.
“I just believe that people expect a lot of performance out of me. There are some characters that I keep doing in my films where I get to perform, I get to act, and I get to show what I’m capable of as an actor. So I think for me, the focus is always going to be choosing the right scripts, choosing the right characters where I get to do something more than just being furniture in the film. So I will always be extremely conscious about choosing the right scripts and choosing the right characters,” she said.
The actor, who rose to fame as Anandi in the television show ‘Balika Vadhu’, said she still feels grateful for the show’s enduring popularity nearly two decades later.
“I feel grateful. I feel like I’ve done something,” she said, adding that it is heartwarming to see audiences continue to identify her with the iconic character.
Recalling her time on the show, Avika said no one had imagined that ‘Balika Vadhu’ would go on to become such a landmark television series.
“I think going to the set every day at that age and not really realising that we are creating a show that’s eventually going to turn out to be a masterpiece and it’s going to be remembered after 18 years. I think nobody really expected that show to do so well. So with all that innocence that I started working on that show, it really melts my heart when I think of it because at the end of the day, it’s where I started. It’s where my journey kind of started with my audience. So it’s one of those most memorable phases of my life,” she said.
Talking about returning to ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi 15’, Avika admitted that while the show remains physically and mentally demanding, her previous stint was more challenging.
“This is not an easy show anyway. It’s very challenging. But for me, my earlier season was much more difficult. The kind of stunts that were given to me in that season were more scary to me. So the stunts that I was performing right now did not really scare me to a level where I would feel that I should give up. But when I was watching others perform, it really made me very emotional because there were too many stunts where too many people were either getting injured or emotional breakdowns and just witnessing all of that was not really easy,” said the ‘Sasural Simar Ka’ actor.
She also opened up about her fear of tear gas-based stunts, revealing that she has asthma and had struggled with a similar challenge in her previous season.
“There was one particular stunt which was to do with tear gas and that has been my trauma since my last season because that was my elimination stunt. Since my childhood, I’ve had asthma. For me, tear gas stunts are not usually great because it all requires great lungs and breathing. So this time when I was supposed to do a stunt like that, I kind of knew that even if I try my best, it’s not going to be as good as the others because my lungs, it’s something that’s not in my control,” she said.
On the friendships she formed during the show, Avika said fellow contestants Jasmin Bhasin and Rubina Dilaik stood by her throughout the competition, while Rithvik Dhanjani and Karan Wahi also offered constant support.
“Jasmin is very close to me. So she was always there for me. Rubina was always there for me. And when it comes to the guys, I think Rithvik and Wahi, I kind of have a real soft corner for them because they really, really consider me close and it was just amazing to have that kind of support in the show,” Gor added.
Looking ahead, the actor revealed that her Punjabi music video will release on August 7. She also hinted at more projects in the pipeline, including a possible return to television.
“There might be something to do with TV as well very soon. I can’t talk about it right now. But yeah, when the time comes, I will,” she said.
Talking about ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi 15’, hosted by filmmaker Rohit Shetty, the show premieres on Colors and JioHotstar. (ANI)
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