When not shooting, HEllY SHAH and TEJASWI PRAKASH WAYANGANKAR are busy studying and trying to complete their courses. The two actors, who now will be seen in Swaragini, share how they got into acting
On screen, they look as different as chalk and cheese but in reality the two girls seem to have a lot in common. They both love to chat and are passionate about their work. Nineteen-year-old Helly Shah and 21-year-old Tejaswi Prakash Wayangankar are seen as leads in the promos of Colors’ new show Swaragini that will premiere on March 2. Set in Kolkata, the plot revolves around two warring neighbourhood families and their daughters — Swara and Ragini — who were raised with entirely different family values.
Speaking about her character Ragini, Mumbai-girl Tejaswi tells us, “Ragini belongs to a conservative Marwari family and is a simple, down to earth, obedient girl. She is rooted to her culture and has never dared to disobey or question the authority. She lives by the belief that elders of the family, being more worldly-wise, can never be wrong. She’s a trained classical singer and plays sitar.”
As animated and outspoken as her role, Ahmedabad born Helly throws light on her character of Swara, “She is a modern and confident girl raised in a Bengali household by her single mother and grandmother who are very progressive and forward-thinking. She has been given the freedom but she would never take advantage of it and as she knows how to convince people, resolve issues in courteous manner.”
Both disclose the similarities between their real and reel personalities but with wee variations. Helly says, “Both Helly and Swara are quite similar but the only difference is that I am a Gujarati and a pure vegetarian. Though I wasn’t required to eat meat but there was one particular scene where I have to hold these two huge fishes and I was shivering but now I am getting used to it.”
Tejaswi, who also is a trained classical singer both on and off-screen, shares, “A lot of it is the same and a lot of it is not. Marwaris are supposed to be vegetarians and in real life I can’t do without chicken or fish. When it comes to family and obeying what you’ve been told, I am quite like my screen avatar. I’ve never found it difficult to agree to what I was told.” The production team hired music trainers for Tejasvi and Helly who were required to play instruments for the opening scene of the show. “I can play harmonium but Ragini plays sitar which is not a very common instrument. I had to start with the basics like learning the right posture. I also took help of YouTube and Google. In the show both girls are not encouraged to mingle with each other but they appreciate each other’s musical talents which is the only common factor,” says Tejaswi. Colors, known for launching a fresh face in its new project, broke the tradition by casting Tejaswi who earlier, too, was a part of a popular show on the channel. “I played the lead role in Sanskaar that ended in May. I am the first person who has been repeated by the channel as lead again. With so many fresh faces coming in the industry, even the channel had doubts whether to cast me or not. It was very difficult for me to convince them that I can do an entirely different show. I feel blessed that the channel showed confidence in me,” she says.
Born in Jeddah, Tejaswi hails from a family of engineers and says she never thought about getting into acting. “During college festivals I won various titles and then I participated in a beauty contest which I won. The next day my picture was in the newspaper and one of the production member called me for an audition. I decided to give it a try and that’s how I bagged my first role.” Helly’s focus had always been on academics and she also participated in various dance and theatre productions.
Juggling studies and work is no easy task for the two and they often carry their college assignments to work. Helly, who is doing her Bachelors in Science, says it is manageable. Tejaswi shares how there are no holidays and no star treatment in college. “It is very tough for me since it’s a regular course and it’s difficult to keep up with the attendance. Whenever it is an off from work I head to college. Engineering students are really not that crazy about actors. Instead, they ask me why do I get into TV and why do I cry so much in my shows.”