MUMBAI: Child actress Aditi Jaltare, who stars as Ahilyabai Holkar in the show "Punyashlok Ahilyabai", says although she could relate to her character, she faced challenges while portraying it.
The actor says she had to work on her diction and body language for the period drama.
"I could really relate to her in many aspects. My mother pointed out certain similarities that I share with Ahilyabai. I ask a lot of questions because I want to know and learn more. I am also an animal lover just like her. I am respectful and helpful towards others," she says.
She adds: "It wasn't difficult for me to understand her as a character. It was just surprising to get to know a historical figure having such a mindset 300 years ago! Diction and body language is something I had to really work on. But other than that, I didn't take much time to get into the skin of the character."
Talking about how she prepared for her role, Aditi says: "I started reading about Ahilyabai Holkar online. The more I read about her, the more I felt connected with her ideologies. My mother kept reminding me that what I was reading was the mindset Ahilyabai had in the 18th century, almost 300 years ago."
She adds that there were a lot of workshops for the cast. "The entire cast has to undergo workshops for diction, body language, etc, to get into the skin of the character and understand the era better. We had ice-breaker sessions amongst the cast so that we could get to know each other better. The writers narrated stories of her childhood and made me understand her equation with her father-in-law and the level of trust they both shared. All these activities overall helped me prepare for the character better," she says.
"Punyashlok Ahilyabai" airs on Sony Entertainment Television.
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