I will have to muster a lot of courage to watch my last scene on the show: Gaurav Amlani on his track wrapping up in Punyashlok Ahilyabai

It was a massive responsibility on his shoulders when he joined Punyashlok Ahilyabai in September to play the grown-up Khande Rao Holkar. Gaurav Amlani is glad that he lived up to the audience’s expectations. Now, a year later, he wrapped up his track on the show. He shot his last episode on Monday. Gaurav shares, “It is a strange feeling, as I shot my last episode just 48 hours ago.It was a death sequence, It was an emotional, overwhelming and beautiful moment.”
The scene, in which he was shown dead, was quite demanding, admits Gaurav. He adds, “My job was to just lie down on the pyre as Khande Rao. However, there was so much going on internally as a performer, including letting go of Khande Rao. People around the pyre were crying for me. Some of them cried for real because their friend was bidding adieu to the show. Also, it’s not a nice visual anyway. So, it was scary, eerie and surreal at the same time. I didn’t want to fall short even in the last scene, where I had to just act dead. The unit was quite emotional, as everybody hugged me and cried. My director called me later and appreciated my efforts. What more could I have asked for? This is what an actor lives for. It is such a beautiful feeling.”
The actor is grateful for the opportunity, as playing Khande Rao allowed him to explore as a performer and showcase his versatility. “The journey has been great. The transition and the growth, both physically and professionally, has been immense. My hair has grown longer, my body bigger and more muscular and the character has grown with time. I started as a prince and graduated to a husband, father, king and a warrior. I thank God all the time for giving me such a respectable character. I could use all the learning, time and energy of so many years…saare emotions daal diye iss mein. I hope to get bigger characters, but Khande Rao Holkar is a character that will stay with me for life. I joined the show midway and for people to accept and love me has been overwhelming. I will have to muster a lot of courage to watch my last scene on the show. But that’s the beauty of being an actor -- to see how people get affected when you say goodbye. Since I had already cried a couple of times, I didn’t cry while shooting the last scene. I am happy and content with my journey on the show. I am grateful to Aparna Padgaonkar ma’am (Creative Producer), producers Ninad Vaidya sir and Nitin Vaidya, casting director Tushar Bhardwaj and my director Sumit Komurlekarr.”