Pranali Rathod Says ‘Difficult’ For Her To Break The Image Of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’s Akshara FilmyMeet

Pranali Rathod, known for her portrayal of Akshara in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, is all set to charm viewers once again with her new show, Durga – Atoot Prem Kahani. In this new series, she will portray Durga alongside Aashay Mishra. Before the telecast of the first episode on September 16, Pranali spoke in a recent interview about her determination to move beyond her beloved Akshara image, which continues to resonate strongly with her fans.

During an interview with The Times of India, Pranali revealed that to this day, fans still call her “Akshu” when they see her. She shared, “I don’t think I’ve been able to break the image of Akshara. Whenever I go out, people still call me Akshu. It is difficult for me because fans have formed a deep connection with Akshara and they miss her a lot.”

Pranali further shared that she would give her best to make the character of Durga as beloved as her role of Akshu. She has made specific changes to the character to ensure that viewers notice, appreciate the differences and will connect with Durga just as they did with Akshu.

When asked about her choice of projects following the success of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Pranali shared, “I don’t feel pressured to only do big or successful projects just because I’ve been part of a successful show. Of course, I want to be a part of big and good projects. Before Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, the shows I did were good too.”

Durga – Atoot Prem Kahani is about a young girl named Durga, who comes from a small kabila and is adopted by a royal family. The show tells the love story between Durga and Anurag (played by Aashay) from their childhood and how their feelings evolve as they grow older. However, this sweet romance will face challenges from Paani Bai (played by Indira Krishnan).

Pranali Rathod stepped in for the role of Akshara Goenka in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai after Shivangi Joshi left the show. Her performance as Akshara (daughter of Naira and Kartik) and her on-screen chemistry with Harshad Chopda, who played the role of Abhimanyu Birla, quickly became fan favourites. Viewers were so impressed by their chemistry that they affectionately dubbed them ‘AbhiRa’ and ‘HarShali,’ and even hoped for a real-life romance between the two.