Mumbai, Nov 15 (IANS): Actress Hetal Yadav has been roped in to play a prominent role in the upcoming show 'Kashibai Bajirao Ballal'. She will be seen as 'Bhawanibai', the mother of 'Kashibai', played by Aarohi Patel.
Hetal says: "I play the character of 'Bhawanibai', Kashi's biological mother who is the leading lady of the family and very strong-headed. 'Bhawanibai' holds the last and final call over household matter. Whilst being a woman of great grit and power, 'Bhawanibai' has a special place in the heart for her daughter 'Kashi' and is over-protective towards her as she is the youngest and the only girl child of the family."
The show focuses on how 'Kashibai' looked after the Maratha Empire during the period her husband Bajirao Ballal, the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire was busy in expanding his kingdom.
While Aarohi is seen essaying the young 'Kashibai', Hetal has tried her best to depict her mother in a realistic way.
When asked about the kind of preparation she put in for the character of 'Bhawanibai', Hetal replies: It's the first time I am playing a role of a Marathi Brahmin woman. Even though I was born and brought up in Mumbai having learnt Marathi as a subject, the dialect of a traditional Marathi woman is very different compared to what is spoken today. To perfect the mannerisms and grasp the right pronunciation of the language spoken then, the production team provided us with a language coach who constantly kept a check."
"Our producer Smriti Shinde showed us videos on Brahmin women of those days to perfect the body language from their style of walking, sitting, holding their pallus, etc. It's a matter of great honour for me to play this part and knew I had to push myself outside of my comfort zone," adds the acress known for her roles in shows like 'Balika Vadhu', 'Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma' and many more.
Hetal shares that the most challenging part she faced while prepping and shooting for the role is the fact that her on-screen personality is completely opposite to what she is in reality.
"'Bhawanibai' is the total opposite of what Hetal Yadav is in real life. I am more outgoing, chirpy and my decibel, in general, is loud as compared to 'Bhawanibai' who is calm, poised and composed. To get into that character and control my body language was my biggest challenge. As 'Bhawanibai', I had to make sure I sound firm, not loud and keep my body movement in control," Hetal concludes.
'Kashibai Bajirao Ballal' airs from November 15 on Zee TV.