Rajshree is Zee TV's new find!

Approximately four years ago, Zee TV launched a new face, gave her a screen name and splashed her across the country in an unprecedented publicity campaign. 'Khushi', (as she was called) has now given way to 'Saloni', a girl next door, in Sunjoy Wadhwa's forthcoming Saat Phere, that will debut soon on the channel. The right face for a serial is perhaps the most daunting task for any production house or channel. The success or failure of a show depends on this monumental endeavour -- whether it is Smriti as Tulsi, Kuljit as Kareena, Mona Wasu as Miilee or Mona Singh as Jassi, these are faces that have launched a thousand TRPs for their respective shows. Now it's Zee's turn to introduce a new face -- Rajshree Thakur as Saloni, in Sunjoy Wadhwa's Saat Phere. Come 17 October, Zee's Saat Phere will have Rajshree playing the lead, Saloni. This show is the model's first brush with television. Rajshree, a thorough Mumbaikar, harbored dreams of acting in films until she liked the story of Saat Phere so much that she decided to keep her big screen plans on the backburner. Armed with a degree in LLB, the Mumbai lass has also done an Indo-French film along with some theatre work in college. "I was a news reader with AIR for almost two years and did some press and commercial ads(Tanishq, Bajaj hair oil, Birla Life Insurance, BJP's India shining) until the writer of Saat Phere called me for an audition. Two screen tests later, I was told I had to play the main lead in the serial alongside some real good names from the television industry," smiles Rajshree. What's your role in Saat Phere, we ask -- "I play Saloni, a simple, subtle , down to earth girl who is quite an introvert by nature. I play a girl who comes to Mumbai from Rajasthan and the traumas of her life are depicted in a very beautiful manner. The social stigmas attached to her dark complexion and the fact that she cannot get a match and the way she tackles it, is her journey along with her love for her childhood sweetheart which she cannot confide,"says Rajshree. So how did people back home react to her foray into the glamour world? "Initially, they were sceptical about me getting into the field due to the late hours and having no godfather in the industry, they thought it would be tough for me. However, now with the way my career is shaping up they are happy for me" sighs the actress. Sunjoy Wadhwa, producer of Saat Phere says,"It's a nice story about a woman's (Saloni's) quest for her identity and her struggle against the social stigmas of the society and the pressure from her kith and kin." The serial was initially tentatively titled Rang, then Saloni and has Rakesh Bapat as the main lead and Shweta Kawatra and Neena Gupta in pivotal roles. While the promos manage to keep curiosity alive with some unkown faces discussing the matrimonial prospects of dark skinned girls, the director confirms that it was just a stunt to pump up interest around the show. With a lavish set, a fresh new face, an unusual story and some seasoned actors Saat Phere should definitely be worth a watch...