Director-producer Ashutosh Gowariker’s new find Shamata Anchan feels blessed to be part of his TV show “EVEREST” and says she would have been foolish if she had said no to the filmmaker.
Gowariker is known for introducing Gracy Singh and Gayatri Joshi on the big screen and now he has launched Shamata on the small screen.
After winning the Femina Miss India South title in 2012, Shamata bagged ads for a shampoo brand, which helped her get the role in the show, which went on air Nov 3 on Star Plus.
“Usually best things happen unplanned. Ashutosh sir noticed me through my TV commercial. And then Nalini Rathnam (casting director) called me and gave all the details about the show. Any newcomer would be a fool to say no to Ashutosh sir,” Shamata told.
Although this is her first series, she doesn’t feel “pressurised”.
“I feel lucky to be a part of a show with big names attached to it like A.R. Rahman,” she added.
The show is about a girl’s struggle, who, to gain her father’s acceptance, decides to climb the highest mountain in the world – Mount Everest.
For Shamata, getting into the skin of the character called Anjali was difficult as she can’t “understand how can a father not love his daughter”.
“My father passed away a few years ago and I know what father’s love means, so portraying that was a difficult part for me,” she said.
However, Shamata also insists that the show is more than just a father-daughter relationship.
“It is not only about father and daughter’s love. The show is also about showing that women can attain anything with their willpower,” Shamata said.
So what were the challenges she faced while doing the show?
“The physical aspect was the biggest challenge as I had to actually climb a mountain. I took physical training to overcome the challenge and gradually it got easier,” said Shamata, who hails from Bangalore.
“Everything was very new for me. I had no idea about camera angles, lighting or dialogue delivery. But now I have become comfortable,” she added.