GOWRI MANICKAVASAGAM
BR Chopra’s Mahabharat remains to be one of the most famous epics in the history of Indian television. The show not only created a furor in the industry and also shaped the careers of many actors who even today are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of history. Mahabharat is back and is currently on air on COLORS Monday to Sunday from 7 to 9 pm.
Decades ago, when no one could guarantee a successful show of this stature, Mahabharat emerged as a promising property. One of the popular actors, Varsha Usgaonkar, who played Uttara in the show takes a walk down the memory lane to share her experience. She revealed that it was coincidental to bag a role in the show and was not a part of the plan.
Commenting on the role that changed her life, Varsha Usgaonkar said, “Mahabharat in those times was very popular and people would plan their schedule around it. It so happened that I had guests over and they requested to watch the shoot. When we visited the sets of Mahabharat, they were shooting a sequence with Abhimanyu and they were on a look-out for someone to play his wife. The only condition was she should be a classical dancer. Gufi Paintal, who played Shakuni and was also one of the production designers, approached me to play this character because I had done good work in Marathi movies and was also a good dancer. It was as if it was all destined and I had no reason to turn them down. More than me, my parents were very excited and that’s one of the reasons that helped me succeed as an actor and I will always cherish it.”
