“Junior artist Sheela’s story is something that we see every day in our field,” says actress Ritobrota Dey

Actress Ritobrota Dey, who was recently seen in TV show ‘Kanyadaan’, is set to take the audience on a journey as Sheetala Shikdar aka Sheela. The young actress, who stepped into the showbiz following her mom’s wish, has bagged the female lead in ‘Nayika No. 1’, a show produced by Snehasish Chakraborty.

Story’s protagonist Sheela is full of life and passionately nourishes the dream of becoming the leading lady of Tollywood one day. “Sheela is a girl who is from Moffusil. She stepped into showbiz with the dream of becoming the no. 1 heroine. But unfortunately, she works as a junior artist. While her dad, who is a Jatra artist, wants his daughter to follow in his footsteps, Sheela’s mom is against the career choice, ” says Ritobrota. Sheela plays small roles but never lets it dampen her spirit.

Giving us a glimpse more of Sheela’s character, Ritobrota says, “She is full of life. She is very talkative and doesn’t really know when to stop. She is a bit dramatic at times (laughs). In real life, I am completely opposite. I love to be in my own zone and don’t like to talk much. So, playing Sheela’s character is a bit challenging, more because I played a completely different character in Kanyadaan. Thankfully, Snehasish Da and our team are helping me in every possible way,” says Ritobrota.

Interestingly, while Sheela isn’t someone with whom Ritobtota, finds any similarity, Ritobrota can easily relate to her (Sheela's) journey as a junior artist. “The story of our show is relatable. It’s something we see almost every day in our field. Snehasish Da beautifully painted the dream of an actor who works as a junior artist. Through Sheela’s journey, the viewers will see the everyday struggle of a junior artist. I feel the pain when I play Sheela’s character. At times, I become really emotional,” says Ritobrota.

The second year student, who made her debut with ‘Ekhane Akash Neel’, didn’t have to struggle till now. “Fortunately, I didn’t have to struggle in my acting career. One of my mom’s friends told her about an audition. I attended a few of those accompanied by my mom. This is how I was selected for Ekhane Akash Neel,” she shares.

The show, which is set to premiere today (March 6), will feature Indranil Chatterjee playing the male lead. According to the story, male protagonist Suddho Sen offers Sheela a role. But there is a twist, he asks her to play his girlfriend in real-life in exchange for money. Sheela, who has some big dreams, simply rejects the offer. “Sheela never wanted to settle for such an offer and she turned down Suddho initially. She always wanted to be the leading lady of Tollywood. There will be a lot of entertaining moments in the story as Suddho tries to convince her. I am sure that the audience will like it as much as I am enjoying playing the character,” she says.