Snehlata Vasaikar says it was her destiny to play the lead role in Vashikaranam

Snehlata Vasaikar

Under the sweltering sun at Film City, on the set of Vashikaranam - Kis Par Rakhein Vishwas, we caught up with Marathi star Snehlata Vasaikar. Draped in a Nauvari saree, the actor was all smiles as she stepped into Hindi GEC as a lead with the thriller. The daily soap follows Suman, a mysterious woman whose grip over an entire village blurs the lines between belief, fear, and trust.

In conversation with mid-day, Vasaikar opens up about destiny playing its part in landing the show - and the almost "eerie" moment she experienced on set.

Excerpts from the interview.

What drew you to Vashikaranam?
It's a mix of thriller and horror, but the real story is about my character Suman, the things she faces, and how she builds herself. [This move] was not planned at all. I call it serendipity. The day of the audition, I knew I was going to crack it because I felt the role happened only for me. In fact, a hairdresser applied kumkum on my forehead and said, ‘You will be the one.' It was the Navratri week and she had brought the kumkum from the Saptashrungi Mata Temple, near Nashik. I think everyone had faith. In a way, I feel I manifested this role.

A stil from ‘Vashikaranam'

You left a running Marathi show for this. Was that a tough call?
When you leave a running show, people usually get angry. But the makers [of Tujhyasathi Tujhyasang] wished me well. They were thrilled I was getting a lead role. They said, ‘We are setting you free.' So everything was clearing the difficult path for me.

Did you witness anything out of the ordinary on set?
I get really scared to watch horror and thriller. When I get a script, I give it my 100 per cent, but after cut, I am back to being Snehlata. I don't indulge in the character or let it overpower me. We had an interesting experience. During the shoot at Saptashrungi Mata Temple, it was a scene that had ghosts coming out of the water, the special effects were to be added later [inset]. But during the shoot, the wind started blowing, leaves kept falling into the water, and there was [this eerie] atmosphere, but it was not VFX.

How do you think this role will position you as an actor?
I think after this show people will start taking me more seriously as an artiste. They will know I am a strong, sensible, and versatile actor, not [judge me] just by my looks and body type. I have been waiting for the right opportunity to [reenter] the Hindi industry. I didn't want to do something for the heck of it, a small character with two-days of shoot, or a side character. Coming in as a lead is an achievement for me. [I feel] I am setting the bar high [for myself].

Did you know?

Snehlata Vasaikar made her Bollywood debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ‘Bajirao Mastani' (2015)

Snehlata to Santosh Ayachit

Writer/producer Santosh Ayachit

You've cast me in this genre now, but later in life when you make something romantic, will you consider me?
Ayachit says, "What a writer ideally wants is an actor who showcases the character in his mind. With how everything is going on, I feel it will be difficult to get a date from Snehlata later on and her remuneration will also increase. She is a fine actor. As a maker, I would definitely like to work with her in a different genre."

Her popular works

2010: ‘Fu Bai Fu'
2010: ‘Laxmi vs Saraswati'
2011: ‘Kunku'
2014: ‘Chandrakant Chiplunkar Seedi Bambawala'
2017: ‘Swarajyarakshak Sambhaji'
2017: ‘Mala Kahich Problem Nahi'
2021: ‘Punyashlok Ahilyabai'
2022: ‘Bigg Boss Marathi 4'