Amruta Khanvilkar: TV's 'Dancing Diva' turns a year older

Amruta Khanvilkar, a sensational dancer and versatile actress, turned a year older. From starting her career in Hindi television to becoming one of the most sorted actresses in Marathi film industry, Amruta has achieved a lot. Looking back, ‘Mumbai Chi Mulgi’ shared the most important milestones in her journey on her B’day, exclusively with TV Times:

The most important turning point in my life was when my parents decided to shift to Pune from Mumbai in 1994. It gave me an opportunity to perform during the ‘Ganpati Festival’ in our society. On our neighbors’ insistence, I danced on Madhuri Dixit’s track ‘Aankhiyaan Milaun’ from the movie ‘Raja’. This started my affair with dance and performing on stage. I never thought I would be able to dance on stage in front of so many people. But after a few performances, I gained confidence and overcame my stage fright.

After participating in Zee TV’s talent hunt ‘Zee Cine Star Ki Khoj’, I decided to take up acting as a career. My family supported my decision. So my mother and I shifted to Mumbai. Both of us stayed in one room as we couldn’t even afford Rs.5000/- rent at that time. My father stayed in Pune for my sister’s education. It was a huge sacrifice on behalf of my parents. It’s because of their faith in me, I could expand my horizons.

In 2006, I was doing Hindi TV shows, when my then-boyfriend, Himanshu pushed me to try Marathi movies. His exact words were, “very few people get a chance to work in their mother tongue. Marathi has a huge scope with its theatre and literature background which you must explore.” With his encouragement, I did my first Marathi movie ‘Golmaal’.

One of the most crucial moments in my life was when ‘Natarang’ happened! Out of nowhere I got a call from Amit Phalke (Producer) asking me to do a song for the movie. I happily agreed. I had never performed on a ‘Lavani’ (Maharashtrian Folk Dance style) nor did I have classical dance training. But to everyone’s surprise, the song ‘Vajle Ki Bara’ became a phenomenal hit overnight. I never expected such a huge success but it gave me new identity as a dancer.

Lots of hits and flop films happened after ‘Vajle Ki Bara’. My career didn’t move as expected. When I was getting nervous about it, ‘Nach Baliye’ happened. Also, my Marathi musical movie ‘Katyar Kaljat Ghusli’ was in the making. By the grace of God, ‘Nach Baliye’ made me a household name. Besides, Marathi audience knows me as a dancer and ‘Katyar’ proved my acting abilities. Overall, 2015 has been lucky for me!