She’s the new rage-Priya aka Khawaish

Most newcomers have to struggle in order to get the right break on television. But some like actress Priya Bathija get lucky. She was studying in Nasik and had come to visit her aunt in Mumbai last year. "I heard about auditions in Balaji and gave it a try not really hoping to get selected," she recalls. But to her utter surprise, Priya was chosen to play a cameo in Kyunki and that started the ball rolling for her.

"It was difficult to convince my parents but they eventually relented and I played Krishna Tulsi's friend in Kyunki. It wasn't a prominent character and it lasted for about four months," she remembers. But post-Kyunki she was in for a pleasant shock when Balaji asked her to appear for a look test to play the lead in Khwaish.

To her surprise again, she was selected to play Aafreen in the show that revolves around two Pakistani families based in Dubai. Since the daily was to be shot in Dubai, Priya had a tough time convincing her parents. "It wasn't easy at all to convince them to allow me to shoot in Dubai. But somehow they agreed and I got to play the main lead in a show that is quite different in terms of story, emotions, values and treatment," she says.

Talking about the character, Priya says Aafreen is a simple, responsible and religious middle class girl who cares for her parents and siblings. "She is like a son to her parents and supports her family financially," she adds. Priya further says that Aafreen's life has been full of ups and downs and the story has reached such a stage that the next phase is full of drama and suspense. "It's the most popular show in Pakistan as well as in the UAE and it is about to complete 100 episodes on Sony. I am really happy to be part of the show which doesn't have the usual saas, bahus and vamps," she adds.

However, it's not been easy for Priya to play Aafreen. "The Kyunki role was quite easy. But playing Aafreen has been a real big challenge because her character speaks chaste Urdu and the serial deals with the Muslim culture. Getting my diction right was really tough and portraying a different culture was again quite a task," she chips in. Also staying away from her family and friends for almost a year was again a difficult task. "I was in touch with my parents on phone but I missed them a lot," says Priya who is currently in Mumbai for a short holiday and will soon go back to Dubai for another long schedule of the show.

By now Priya is fairly camera-friendly but she says she is still learning. "Acting is like an every day lesson. The more you learn, the better you become. But still you can never quite master the art and have to keep evolving," she says, adding further, "I really thank Ekta for giving me the role. Whatever I am today it's because of Ekta and Balaji and my loyalties will always remain for Balaji."

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