Sonarika Bhadoria became a household name as Parvati in the mythological TV show Devon Ke Dev Mahadev. The actress quit the serial midway to try her luck in cinema. Now, after a couple of South films and one failed Bollywood movie Saansien, Sonarika is back on TV. “I was young and wanted to explore new options as TV had become monotonous. I did some movies down South and a Bollywood film. I was gearing up to do another film as a RAW agent for which I had to tone up and be in good shape. However, the film didn’t work out and around the time I got the offer for Prithvi Vallabh,” she says.
It was the role of the warrior princess, Mrinalvati, that tempted the actress to return to the small screen. “I am an action movie buff and have grown up watching such films. The feminist in me dreamt of doing such roles and it’s very rare that a woman gets to play a skillful warrior, have her mind set on politics and rule a kingdom. At the same time, she is pretty and feminine, which is a lethal combination,” says Sonarika, who has been training for the show since the last one year. She has learnt horse riding and sword-fighting.
Is she deliberately staying away from daily soaps and choosing costume dramas? “No, I don’t particularly choose these projects. But in a social show, apart from a saas bahu drama or a love story, what else have we seen? There’s never been a heroine who is beautiful, powerful and intelligent. It’s only in historicals and mythologicals that a woman gets to play such roles,” she reasons.
In her previous serial, her chemistry with Mohit Raina, who played Shiva, was most talked-about. In Prithvi Vallabh which is a love-hate story, her co-star is Ashish Sharma. Ask her about her equation with him and she says, “So far, everybody on the sets is liking our chemistry. He is a wonderful co-actor and since he is senior, I get to learn a lot from him. Ours is a love-hate kind of relationship — love on his side, hate and revenge from my side. It’s a story about contradictory people coming together,” she elaborates.
What happens to her career in films now? “This won’t affect my film career. Prithvi Vallabh is a finite series of 40 episodes. It is already decided that the serial will have another season after a break. So, it’s just like any other project for me,” she signs off.
