Bhagyashree’s daughter Avantika Dassani: ‘Got access to industry people due to my mother, but not work’

Newcomer Avantika Dassani says there was a certain advantage that came with being the daughter of Bollywood actor Bhagyashree but she bagged her debut project Mithya,solely on her own strength. The six-part series, Mithya, will release on February 18 on Zee5.

Mithya, a ZEE5 Original series, will also feature Huma Qureshi, Parambrata Chatterjee, Rajit Kapur and Samir Soni. In a new interview, Avantika said she was able to get access to a few industry people because of her mother as well as brother Abhimanyu Dassani, known for movies such as Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota and Meenakshi Sundareshwar.

“I do accept and acknowledge that there is a lot of love and respect for my mother and brother in the industry. And so, someone will have a cup of chai with me but I won’t get a movie or a show because you are so-and-so’s daughter or son, at least not for me. I still have to earn that,” Avantika told PTI.

“However, that access means a lot because you have millions of people today just trying to be seen. It’s the hard work that will make the director think I’m right for that part or not or the producer to see I’m worth his or her money,” she said. 

Though she had seen what movie sets used to look like during her growing up years, becoming an actor was more of a gradual process and not an overnight move.

“It wasn’t something one fine day (I want to enter the film industry), it was something that had been coming out slowly. My parents kind of knew it, they saw it happening. But when it was the final decision, they wanted to sit me down and make me aware about everything — what will happen and what can happen. But whatever I choose to do, I have to be a hard-working person, is what they told me,” Avantika said.

Avantika revealed that she gave an audition for Mithya which happened via Zoom meeting due to the pandemic. The psychological-thriller is set in Darjeeling and navigates through the conflicted relationships between a Hindi literature professor Juhi, played by Huma, and her student Rhea (Avantika).

Read More: Bhagyashree wishes daughter Avantika Dassani on her 27th birthday: ‘Humesha khush raho’

The actor defined Rhea as a highly emotional volatile impulsive girl and believes she has taken a risk by picking up an unconventional project to start her journey as an actor. “It was a quick process from auditioning to signing it. It is a risk. I hope it allows me to make a mark in the industry and sets me apart in a way. It was quite a challenging role as there are a range of emotions to portray… Shooting for it was much more strenuous than a film,” she said.

Directed by Rohan Sippy, Mithya is produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Rose Audio Visual Production.