Ankita Lokhande: 'Manikarnika' has turned out to be a dream debut

Ankita Lokhande first shot into the limelight with the daily soap,

Pavitra Rishta

. And now, she is all set to make her Bollywood debut with Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. When asked if it was difficult to make the transition to cinema and if the film was a challenging experience, Ankita replied, “I don’t think it is a challenge. This is a new phase in my life and I am enjoying it. I always wanted to be an actor and this film has turned out to be a dream debut.”

Also See: 'Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi' trailer: The Kangana Ranaut starrer is an epic tribute to the greatest warrior queen of India!

In the film, which has Kangana Ranaut in the titular role, Ankita plays Jalkari Bai, who is known as ‘The other Jhansi Ki Rani’ in the annals of history. She was included in the women’s wing of the queen’s army and was trained in shooting and cannon ball lighting. Talking about her role, Ankita added, “Portraying Jhalkari Bai was not easy. I had to understand her mindset and researched a lot about her. I have tried my best to do justice to her character. I trained for almost a month, learning sword fighting and horse riding. I loved the entire training period.”