Smriti Kashyap plays the role of Chitralekha, Queen of Khurda, in Subrat Sinha and Dr. Bodhisattva’s Vidrohi. As a queen, Chitralekha, according to Smriti, is extremely proud of her beauty and holds herself in a high pedestal.
“Chitralekha’s sensuality is countered by her lack of intelligence. She is mostly discontent with her lifestyle and always looking out for more luxury and comforts even at the cost of the state’s interest. She feels wronged by the turn of events that have led to the downfall of the state and feels she deserves her queen-hood in all its glory. She is waiting for the fortune to return along with the Jagannath Temple. Chitralekha is also petty and scheming. She is married to King of Khurda,” she continues, “After so many years Star Plus has come up with a historical drama and the making, attire, artists everything is on point. The show is looking totally different and beautiful.”
Talking about her look, which is totally different in the show, Smriti says that Chitralekha is the only one who likes to wear lots of jewelleries and ornaments. “She really likes to dress up like a true-blue Odisha queen. So the saree draping is very different and time taking because it’s typical Odisha style draping. It almost takes me 1 to 1.5 hours to get ready. But yes, I love my costumes. It makes me beautiful and confident. I remember how Sharad Malhotra (who plays Buxi Jagabandhu) complimented Mukund and told us how we are looking like real king and queen,” she shares.
The vibes on the set are positive and happy. “Everyone is cooperative, fun-loving and hard-working, especially our director sir (name). He sometimes makes the aura so comfortable and stress-free. The co-artists are like family and they know how to help each other. Playing characters from historical shows is more difficult and different from regular shows. The body language and dialogues are totally different. And to get ready for a certain character takes too much time. We need to adapt to the knowledge, character, and culture. Presenting and executing show stories are also difficult,” adds the actor.
About working with Gatha Productions and both the producers, she says, “Working with them is super fun. Both the producers are always there to guide us. The production people are hard-working and joyful. They specify shooting styles to ensure studio sets don’t just look the part but can deliver the right content to the viewers.”
