Exclusive: Apurva Nemlekar on playing Savani in Premachi Goshta: I shed my weight, changed my hair colour and decided to passionately work for 12 hours

One of the most anticipated TV shows, Premachi Goshta, launched recently. The show has been winning the hearts of the audience since its first episode. Actors Tejashri Pradhan and Raj Hanchanale are playing lead roles in the show, and actress Apurva Nemlekar has been roped in to play the lead negative role of Savani. Ever since the actress has featured in the show, she has been in the headlines for one reason or another. Apurva, who has been in the industry for the past decades, spoke exclusively to ETimes TV about her new project, her character in Premachi Goshta, why she chose to play Savani, her journey after Bigg Boss Marathi 4, and more.

Talking about why Apurva accepted the role of Premachi Goshta, she said, "After Bigg Boss, I have been waiting for a challenging role. I had been approached for three lead roles before, but I am not the person who will keep doing the same roles and things on screen. Those characters I did not find interesting, nor were they inspiring or motivational. When the makers offered Premachi Goshta, I felt this was the role I was waiting for. Savani is such a unique negative character that has shades."

Apurva further talked about the preparation she did for the role of Savani. She said, "When I was playing the role of Shevanta, I was asked to gain weight. I gained weight. The character also demanded that Shevanta's hair be black. My hair is brown, so I colored it from brown to black. For the role of Savani, I changed my hair color. I also shed weight, and I am doing a lot of other things to play Savani better on screen. I love to mould myself and my looks, seeing the characters I get."

When asked about how and why she took the decision to be a part of the show, which Tejashri Pradhan was also a part of, she said, "Me and Teju have been working in the industry for many years now. There was no sign of insecurity or jealousy when we both decided to work together. We have both proven to everyone our abilities with our work and experience. I have also observed that Tejashri does preparation and study for her character, and I feel very good to work with her."

Premachi Goshta is the remake of the Hindi TV show Yeh Hai Mohabattein, and she spoke about receiving comments from netizens about its remake and said, "Everyone knows now that it is the Marathi remake of the show Yeh Hai Mohabattein. Our characters are the same, and we already have examples of people who have earlier played such roles. In Hindi, actress Anita Hassanandani played Shagun in the show. Now in Marathi, I am playing the role. To play Savani, I am focusing on my hair, style, sarees, and jewelry. This is something that has not happened before."

- Interview by Vaishnavi Gavankar