There were comparisons earlier with the younger Bondita but now the audience has accepted me: Anchal Sahu

Anchal Sahu, who is currently seen playing the role of grown-up

Bondita

in

Barrister Babu

, made her debut as a leading lady earlier this year in the show Kyun Uthe Dil Chod Aye. But what many people don’t know is that

Aanchal

has been acting from the age of six.

She says, “I was never that interested in acting when I was younger. But yes, I was a drama queen at home (laughs). One day, my uncle posted my pictures on Facebook and a casting person approached us. That’s how I got my first advertisement with none other than Sachin Tendulkar. After that, I worked as a child artiste on a few projects and TV shows. My family encouraged me to pursue acting and my mother would take me to different auditions. I used to hate giving auditions as a child and even today, I get scared while giving them. I feel that casting directors judge a lot and also there's a lot of rejection, which one faces. But during the lockdown last year, I wanted to overcome my fear, so I started giving auditions from home. That is how I got my first lead show. Now I have fallen in love with acting.”

Talking about comparisons with child artiste

Aura Bhatnagar

, who played the young Bondita in Barrister Babu, Anchal says, “There were comparisons initially, but after watching me in episodes, audiences have accepted me. Comparisons with

Aura

were inevitable and I never took them personally. In fact, when I started shooting, I asked my director to tell me how Aura used to react in certain situations. I have retained a few nuances of the younger Bondita, which helps the audience connect better with the character.”

Anchal, who is 16 years-old, plans to continue studying further and become a nutritionist as well. “I love acting, but I will continue my studies. I plan on taking up a course to become a nutritionist. If it weren’t for acting, I would have loved to become a doctor,” she ends.