Ankita Lokhande Opens Up About Playing Amrapali: 'It Is Quite Challenging'

Actor Ankita Lokhande is preparing for Sandeep Singh’s upcoming project, a web series titled Amrapali. Following her remarkable performance as Yamuna Bai in Swatantra Veer Savarkar, she has been cast to portray the lead character of Amrapali, an accomplished royal dancer from the ancient republic of Vaishali. In a recent interview, Ankita Lokhande expressed her joy and gratitude for getting the opportunity to play the celebrated royal dancer who later followed Buddha’s teachings and became arahant.

Speaking to ETimes TV, Ankita Lokhande said, “I feel very lucky that I am offered such strong roles. I also sometimes get surprised that people see or visualize me in such strong roles. I started my journey with Pavitra Rishta and slowly moved towards such strong roles as Amrapali. When I get offered such strong roles sometimes, I feel, will I be able to pull them off. It is quite challenging for me but I respect that people see me in such strong roles.” She asserted her commitment to portraying the character of Amrapali with dedication and hard work. Ankita described Amrapali as a strong women-centric role.

A few days ago, filmmaker Sandeep Singh unveiled the first look of Ankita Lokhande as Amrapali. In the poster, she looks breathtakingly beautiful in traditional attire, adorned with exquisite jewellery. The poster came with the caption, “Presenting Ankita Lokhande as Amrapali, the epitome of strength, grace, and resilience. This series delves into the untold saga of the royal courtesan, revealing her journey filled with emotions and challenges. Stay tuned for this grand spectacle, produced by Legend Studios. The series marks the much-awaited comeback of the musical maestro Ismail Darbar.”

The web series will capture the extraordinary life of Amrapali, who gave up all the luxuries of a royal courtesan and adopted the simple life of a Buddhist devotee.

Previously, the legend of Amrapali has inspired three feature films in India, interestingly all the films have been named after the royal dancer herself. In 1945, actor Sabita Devi portrayed the lead in director Nandlal Jaswantlal’s Amrapali. In 1959 actor Supriya Devi played the title role under the directorship of Sree Tarashankar. Similarly, in 1966 Bollywood superstar Vyjayanthimala played Amrapali, opposite Sunil Dutt as Emperor Ajatashatru. It is interesting to see Lokhande reprising the much-celebrated role.

On the professional front, Ankita Lokhande was last seen in Vishal Mishra’s music video for the song Laa Pila De Sharaab. The video also featured her husband, Vicky Jain.