As a child, Aishwarya Ojha’s first ever play was one in which she got to play Sita from Ramayana. Incidentally, she has made her debut as a professional actor with ‘Ramyug’, a show in which she has portrayed Sita. In this interview, she talks about the experience of working on ‘Ramyug’, sharing the screen with Amitabh Bachchan in a TV commercial, passion for dance and more.
‘Ramyug’ is your first full-fledged acting project. Did you have to audition for the show?
I am from Indore. I have been living in Mumbai sic the last three years. I arrived in Mumbai in January and met Jogi sir, a renowned casting director, in February. He called me for an audition after a couple of months. He told me, “I want you to audition you for an important project. At the moment, I can’t tell you what it is about”. I did a scene and then, forgot about it. After 10-15 days, I got a call from his office. I was informed that I had been finalised for the film and it will be directed by Kunal Kohli. I was very excited when I heard this. Just meeting a director of his stature was a huge thing for a newcomer like me. When I met him, he told me he was making a film on Ramayan and he wanted me to play Sita. I couldn’t have asked for a better debut.
Amitabh Bachchan had lent his voice to a song for ‘Ramyug’. You had done a commercial with him for ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’. How was the experience of sharing the screen with a legend like him?
I feel I have been very lucky. When I did the KBC commercial, I didn’t know that he had sung a song for ‘Ramyug’. When I told Mr. Bachchan that I was doing Kunal sir’s ‘Ramyug’, he told me, “Devi ji, is mein humne ek gaana gaaya hai”. That was a huge surprise for me. Working with him so early in my career was no less than a blessing. And then, he further blessed us by singing a song for ‘Ramyug’.
What is the kind of preparation you had to do to play Sita?
As far as the language was concerned, I had an edge. I have been talking in Hindi ever since I could speak. I couldn’t have asked for a better debut than ‘Ramyug’. It was a very special project for me. The script was beautifully written and I instantly connected to it. A lot of preparation went in to it. Kunal sir made sure we did a lot of readings. During the shoot also, we used to have readings every day.
You have trained in dance forms. How did acting happen?
I have been dancing since I was ten years old. I started learning Kathak as a child. I used to perform on the stage at every annual event in school. When I was in the third grade, I got to do my first play in which I played Sita. Every month, I was on stage for 2-3 times. All this stopped when I started studying architecture. I started feeling a void in my heart. I spoke to my parents about it. I told them I would like to give acting a shot. They were very supportive.
Can you share something your upcoming projects?
I have shot for a project. There is one more that I will shoot for after the lockdown.