Actress Shrashti Maheshwari Vaidya who is known for her portrayal in Star Plus’ Pandya Store, has been doing back-to-back roles in varied shows on the Hari Om app. Hari Om app, as we know, is the OTT platform made available for solely mythological shows. Shrashti has been part of shows Rahu Gatha, Jai Jagannath, Mangal Dev and presently Jai Maha Lakshmi.
Talking about her fruitful association with the platform, Shrashti says, “Hari Om gave me a wide place to play around with different characters. It was very important for us to understand whether the execution was good enough and not monotonous as we shot for the shows back to back. But Hari Om researched their stories so nicely, that the execution of the shows has been good. Each and every writer has written every character well. I am giving my best and playing the roles in the way they are being written.”
On the varied roles she has played on the app, Shrashti says, “I started playing a mother after becoming a mother. I played Rahu’s mother in Rahu Gatha. It was a beautiful character to play. I was later part of Jai Jagannath in the role of Gundecha Devi which was powerful indeed. In Mangal Dev, I played the mother of Mangal Dev who showed her son the path. Bhumi Devi was the backbone of her son. In Jai Maha Lakshmi I am shooting now, I have got the opportunity to play Goddess Parvati. The best part is that all these divine avatars of Gods have an aura. I am giving my best as a performer. I am thankful for the amazing chance I have got on Hari Om app.”
Ask her about the challenges in front of her in a mythological show, and she says, “There are no challenges as such. But being a woman, it gets tough on those days of the month to carry the heavy costumes for the whole day. I feel like having time to rest on those days of the month. Otherwise, I have no problems and challenges doing mythologicals.”
She talks about the aura the divine character creates in the minds of the actors playing it. “When you are in your costume in a mythological show, you tend to get into another world, a totally different setup. Also, you learn more about the roots of Hindu culture. It is very important to teach them to the younger generation. As for me, I am learning now and will teach it to my kid.”
Ask her about her expectations and she is quick to say, “I expect that I don’t get typecast. Hari Om has provided me varied roles and I have modulated well between characters. I am happy that I have got a hold of the dialect too. Now, I want to explore many other roles on other channels as well.”
“People felt that after my delivery, I was on a break. But that has not been the case. I shot till I was four months pregnant. After my delivery, I shot for a web series with Aly Goni. I never stopped working, in fact. I lost 25 kgs in two months in order to get back to my work. My passion is to work and I would love to do challenging roles,” she concludes.
