GOWRI MANICKAVASAGAM
As India’s leading Hindi general entertainment channel and a responsible broadcaster, Zee TV has always kept its audience entertained through thick and thin. In fact, during this crucial phase of social distancing, the channel offers its viewers a daily shot of inspiration with the popular mythological show, Vishnu Puran. Based on an ancient collection of stories and scriptures, BR Chopra’s Vishnu Puran depicts the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
While the veteran actor, Nitish Bharadwaj brought out a larger-than-life feel to these various incarnations, the versatile, Deepshikha Nagpal was one amongst the esteemed cast members to essay the negative role of Suruchi with absolute finesse. Recollecting some of her memories from her shooting days, Deepshikha recalls memorising lengthy chunks of monologue that she had to deliver at one go. However, her fondest memories are when Deepshikha found out she was pregnant, two months into the shooting of the show.
Recalling those moments with absolute delight, Deepshikha said, “I remember being pregnant with Vivaan while shooting for Vishnu Puran. Being a spiritual person at heart, I believed the positive vibes associated with this show would bring out the much-needed positivity within me and my child. It also worked well for me because I was quite slim and my belly did not really show much of the baby bump right till the last few months where the shots were adjusted accordingly.”
Smiling, she adds, “I consider myself really lucky at that time because the entire cast and crew pampered me and took extra care of me on the set. To be honest, I never felt the absence of my parents, and being on set was like being at home. I also had a few members of the cast always offering me home-cooked food or to pick and drop me back home because during my last trimester they were concerned that I might go into labour while driving back. I was so comfortable shooting throughout, that the only time I decided to take a break was when my delivery was due. I got back to work as soon as I was medically allowed and in fact, even got my child along to the set. This whole experience has been a blessing in disguise and I am glad to have had the entire cast and crew hand hold me throughout this stage.”
Talking further on what intrigued her about the show, Deepshikha said “While I had the basic knowledge, I was always intrigued about the nitty-gritty of the storyline of the show. The whole concept and decoding the Purans was captivating and I always had this unique calling towards mythology.”
