She is probably the first dark complexioned heroine to be noticed and loved among the Indian masses. Saloni aka Rajashree Thakur has made her television show Saat Phere one of the most popular soaps on television today.
The show has been running for a year, and has already garnered high TRP ratings.
Getting an appointment with her is tough, as the actress shoots non-stop. The only time one can meet her is in between shots, when she is taking a break.
"I had fallen ill so there is a backlog of episodes to be shot," Rajashree explains.
The serial started with Saloni not finding a suitable husband, as she was dark skinned. Her talent was also suppressed because of her skin colour. She overcomes all by sheer determination, and even finds herself a loving husband in Nahar.
Does Rajashree feel that dark skinned women have to try harder to get a bridegroom in India? "Yes," she responds immediately. "If you see any matrimonial advertisement, you will find everyone wants a fair girl. I have got so many e-mails from dark-skinned girls to say how happy they are to see my triumph in the serial. I feel women must feel confident, and not bother about the colour of their skin."
Then, in a lighter vein, she adds, "So many cosmetic companies are doing well because of dark skinned people."
Was her dark skin ever a hindrance to her career? "Yes," she replies. "During auditions, producers only wanted fair girls."
"When I got a call to play the main lead for Saat Phere, the first thing I asked them was whether they knew about my looks," she says. "I told them I was a dark girl. They said that they knew that. Their only requirement was that they needed a girl with long hair, and one who could dance well. I did my audition and got selected."
Acting came to Rajashree by accident, when she did stage shows in college.
The Maharashtrian girl continues, "The ideal job for me would have been in a bank. But that did not happen. I am not meant for a 9 to 5 job. I found solace in acting."
She is the youngest of five sisters.
Rajashree claims that she knew how to overcome opposition from her family. "I am stubborn, and know how to convince my family. But they were cooperative once they let me become an actor," she says.
She got her first break in an Indo-French film called Hawa Aane De. "Initially, I was not interested in television. But now, I have started enjoying it," she says. But she says, her dream is to become a film actress.
"Films is my first love," she says. "I did films, then television, not the other way around."
Her favourite actresses are Smita Patil and Nutan.
In February, life will take a new turn for this actress when she weds longtime boyfriend, Sanjot Vaidya.
So will she be as good a bahu in real life as she is in reel life? "You have to ask my in-laws this question," she laughs.
Watch Saat Phere at 9.30 pm from Mondays to Fridays on Zee TV.
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