"I am fascinated with history" Rajshri Thakur

On Sony TV's much awaited upcoming historical Maharana Pratap, Rajshri Thakur Vaidya will be seen playing the role of Uday Singh's (Shakti Anand) wife, Maharani Jayawanta Bai Songara. Talking to us from Jaisalmer, Rajsahtan, Rajshri who soared the heights of success with Saat Phere was missing on Indian television for the past 3 years. She was last seen in Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya na Kijo and says she was more than excited when she got this offer, "I had been getting the typical saas-bahu sagas all this time but I was not interested in doing them as I wanted to try something different because Saat Phere was the best in its genre and I didn't want to repeat it. So, when I got this offer to do a period history drama I was more than interested in trying out something different."

It also helped that Rajshri has always been interested in history, "I have always read a lot about history and historical characters have always fascinated me. With so many epic dramas coming up on television now this is the right time for me to come back with one too."

Talking about her character Rajshri says, "It is believed that Maharana Pratap is what he is because of his mother and the values and principles that she has instilled in him. As his mother, she is a major influence in his life. She is a very strong woman and is the first wife of Uday Singh who is believed to have 19 wives in total. Eventually she follows the path and teachings of Meerabai who is believed to be her ancestor."

Rajshri is shooting with co-star Aashka Goradia (last seen in Bigg Boss Season 6) who too plays one of Uday Singh's wife in the serial, "We have earlier worked together in Saat Phere but we did not have many scenes together. We have known each other and are friends for long so the bonding is great." She is also all praises for Faisal Khan who plays the young Maharana Pratap, "Faisal is very talented and hard-working. He is a DID finalist but looks like a professional when it comes to acting too. Whether it is sword fighting during the war scenes or dialogues he has good concentration and is able to deliver an excellent performance."

Rajshri says she is happy shooting in the blazing heat in Jaisalmer despite the heavy costumes as they are shooting for some important sequences, "We have been shooting from 5 am to 8 pm for the past week and even as we ladies have been shooting indoors in the palace I can well imagine what those who have been shooting outdoor war scenes must be going through. But I must say we all have such authentic costumes and jewellery that it all looks real life. My velvet lehenga with zardozi work which weighs around 7-8 kgs and period jewellery make me really feel royal."

Seema Khot Mattoo