Shaniwar Wada was the spookiest place: Apoorva Arora

16 year old Apoorva Arora who played Paresh Rawal’s daughter in Oh My God, will now assume the role of an explorer in Discovery Kids’ new show Mystery Hunters India. The young actor, along with her co -host Himanshu, will travel the length and breadth of the country to delve into the tales that have bewildered people for ages e.g. strange paintings in Madhya Pradesh, or the existence of Pygmy elephants in Kerala considered extinct for over 200 years and many more such captivating mysteries. “We will try to find out the real reason behind these myths and also try to find out why and when they did first arise” she avers. Apoorva who first began her film career with the teen romance Bubble Gum, then came a Kannada film Cinema Hungama. This was followed by Oh My God. “Normally, I don’t do TV shows, but when producers BBC Worldwide narrated this concept, I immediately acceded to their request since I loved the theme. The show has given me an opportunity to fulfill my wanderlust, checking out jungles, monuments etc,” she observes. Among her various journeys, Apporva found a trip to the cursed town of Palakkad in Karnataka the most interesting. “I wanted to know what kind of curses are put on this place and were they true?” And which was the spookiest place? “It is Shaniwar Wada in Pune. Although I don’t believe in ghosts, several kids told me that they had heard about spirits over there. Hence, I was a bit scared, ”she reveals. So how did you cope up with the rigours of such a travel show, we ask her. “As I was brought up in a very comfortable and cosy environment, my dad was a little skeptical whether I would be able to survive the shoot. And to be honest, even I was not edgy, for unlike films where you have a vanity van to rest between scenes, here we did not even have a place to sit sometimes. Moreover, we were required to constantly keep up our energy levels in order to entertain the audience and make them think what you say. But in the end, it became a breeze and I had a blast,” she maintains. Working in Mystery Hunters India has made this Delhi girl physically strong. “Now, I don’t get tired after my film unit calls for a pack up,” she quips. Before ending, she says, “The journey during Mystery Hunters India has made her more than ready to do an Angelina Jolie type of action film.” Apoorva’s next film project Dekh Tamasha Dekh is expected to release soon. Watch Mystery Hunters India on Discovery Kids from December 22nd daily at 6 pm.