The warrior princess

A few years ago, a girl came to the City of Dreams to become an advertising professional. But destiny had some other plans in store. Currently, she is enacting the fierce queen of Indian history, Rani Laxmibai on television.

Kratika Sengar is a proud girl today. “When I came to Mumbai, I had no intention of joining the television industry. But one fine day I got a call from Balaji for an audition,” she says.

Being a Balaji loyalist, she got many more shows from the production house. “I did shows like Kasauti Zaindagi Kay, Kya Dil Mein Hai and a reality show called Kaun Jeetega Bollywood Ka Ticket where I ended my run at the semi-final. It was quite interesting and a great learning experience.”

And then she was chosen to play the coveted role on ZEE TV’s Jhansi Ki Rani.

But there was a little catch. Child star Ulka Gupta’s histrionics created quite a flutter as the show started. And it went on with the  serial’s success and her role was stretched to accommodate with it. “I was under an exclusive contact for the role, so I didn’t take up any other shows. They were paying me too during this period according to the contract. It was like a paid holiday for me. I travelled a lot and spend some quality time with my family,” she says.

How did she find Ulka as her predecessor? “She has done a fabulous role and I am quite proud of the way she has portrayed the character on screen. And the audience has responded very positively to her acting skills,” the actor says.

Taking up the role wasn’t an easy job at all. In fact, she had to learn horse riding, sword fighting and Indian martial arts to play the warrior princess. “I have gone through intensive training and now I can actually fight with swords while riding a horse,” she ends.