Ankita Lokhande recalled how Sushant Singh Rajput, who essayed the role of male lead Manav in Pavitra Rishta, taught her acting on the show.
As the popular TV show, Pavitra Rishta completed 12 years on Tuesday, actor Ankita Lokhande, who played the lead role of Archana, went down memory lane and recollected a few significant moments from when the show was on air. She also recalled how Sushant Singh Rajput, who essayed the role of male lead Manav, taught her acting on the show.
On Tuesday, Ankita went live on Instagram to celebrate 12 years of Pavitra Rishta with her fans and cut a cake sent by the fans of the show. During her interaction, she remembered Sushant who passed away last year on June 14. “Sushant is no longer with us and Pavitra Rishta is definitely incomplete without him. Archana ka Manav sirf vahi tha (He was the only Manav to Archana). I am sure he is watching us today and is just happy wherever he is,” Ankita shared.
She credited Sushant for teaching her acting at the very initial stage of her career. “Sushant always taught me acting. I wasn’t an actor. He was the one who used to teach me what is acting. Because I was a junior, he was a senior. He always taught me. He was a brilliant actor, brilliant co-star and I was very fortunate to work with him,” added the actor.
Further in the video, Ankita shared some anecdotes from the times when she worked on Pavitra Rishta. She also thanked producer Ekta Kapoor for giving her the role of Archana, which made her a household name. “I am really fortunate that I got Pavitra Rishta. The show is like a firstborn baby to me and I will always love it,” she said.
Ankita Lokhande also shared how the show was supposed to go on air on June 1, 2009, at 9 pm but it originally first aired on television at 4.30 in the morning because Ekta Kapoor wanted to release it at a particular ‘mahurat’.
Pavitra Rishta started airing on ZEE TV in 2009 and ran for five years. While Ankita was a part of the show until the end, Sushant quit the show in 2011 and was replaced by television actor Hiten Tejwani. After the show, Sushant made his Bollywood debut with Kai Po Che in 2013.
