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

Under the sweltering sun at Film City on the set of Vashikaranam mdash 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 trustIn conversation with midday Vasaikar opens up about destiny playing its part in landing the show mdash and the almost ldquoeerierdquo moment she experienced on setExcerpts from the interviewWhat drew you to VashikaranamItrsquos 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 lsquoYou will be the onersquo 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 roleA stil from lsquoVashikaranamrsquoYou left a running Marathi show for this Was that a tough callWhen 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 lsquoWe are setting you freersquo So everything was clearing the difficult path for meDid you witness anything out of the ordinary on setI 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 donrsquot 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 VFXHow do you think this role will position you as an actorI 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 didnrsquot want to do something for the heck of it a small character with twodays 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 myselfDid you knowSnehlata Vasaikar made her Bollywood debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansalirsquos lsquoBajirao Mastanirsquo 2015Snehlata to Santosh AyachitWriterproducer Santosh AyachitYoursquove cast me in this genre now but later in life when you make something romantic will you consider meAyachit says ldquoWhat 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 genrerdquoHer popular works2010 lsquoFu Bai Fursquo2010 lsquoLaxmi vs Saraswatirsquo2011 lsquoKunkursquo2014 lsquoChandrakant Chiplunkar Seedi Bambawalarsquo2017 lsquoSwarajyarakshak Sambhajirsquo2017 lsquoMala Kahich Problem Nahirsquo 2021 lsquoPunyashlok Ahilyabairsquo2022 lsquoBigg Boss Marathi 4rsquo