APEKSHA PORWAL SHARES HER JOURNEY FROM MISS INDIA TO DIGITAL DEBUT

Jyothi Venkatesh

Apeksha Porwal is making her acting debut with Applause Entertainment’s “Undekhi”, which will stream on SonyLIV. The Miss Diva 2017 runner-up talks about her childhood dream of becoming a Miss India to her much-awaited thriller drama “Undekhi”.As a child she never dreamt of becoming an actor, however, she added, “I was always curious about acting. I started my acting training before Miss India. It was after a workshop with Neeraj Kabi and another with Atul Mongia that I really got into it. So, I enrolled in a nine-month method-acting diploma programme at The Jeff Goldberg Studio.””I think that the nine-month acting course really changed my life. It made me certain that this is where I belong and helped me to get to know the craft better. I also did a comedy play directed by Jeff. We did several shows for that and it was one of the most amazing experiences that I had,” she added.

The young star revealed that Miss India, however, was something that she wanted to do since her childhood. And it was a collective dream of hers and her family.”Miss India was always like my childhood dream. It was something that I always wanted. As a kid, I used to watch Miss India on TV back then with my parents and my sister, and we used to all dream that one day I will be there and I will wear the crown. In fact, I did my first pageant, MTV Teen Diva, in 2009 and I won it. I won the title of Miss Teen India International 2009 and I represented India at Miss Teen International 2009 in Chicago,” she said.Post that she focussed on her studies and did B.A. (Hons.) in Economics and Statistics from St. Xavier’s College. Then she worked for two years with a social business called Janta Meals in Delhi.

She had to move back to Mumbai because of personal health reasons and that’s when she thought of giving Miss India another shot.”In 2015, I did Miss India Delhi and won it. I was in the final 20 of Miss India 2015, but I did not win that year. It was something that I wanted to do so I worked hard on myself, my communication, presentation, my mental and physical fitness, and I even joined ballet classes to improve my stance and posture. And then in 2017, I went for Miss Diva and I was one of the winners of the beauty pageant,” Apeksha said.After crowning her successor in 2018, Apeksha went through the long process of auditioning and says she went to many of them before landing a role in “Undekhi”. But that wasn’t a cakewalk either.

“As a newcomer, I went through the regular process of auditioning. I went to many auditions. For my debut, I was looking for some role which lets me push my boundaries as an actor, and I think I am very lucky that I got to start my career with a show like ‘Undekhi’,” she said.”Even when I just read the audition script, I fell in love with it. A few weeks after the first round of audition, they called me back for a second round without makeup because the role is such. It was almost after one year of auditioning that I got a call from the production saying that they wanted me for the role. It was a long wait but totally worth it,” Apeksha added.The first teaser of “Undekhi” was recently released.

It starts with a group of policemen sailing through the Sundarbans to investigate a dead body. On reaching they are informed that the body is two-three days old and has been eaten by wild animals post his death. It also mentions that there is a puncture mark on the body’s neck from where they have recovered a stick used by tribal girls to tie their hair. The teaser doesn’t reveal much about the storyline which makes it more intriguing. “The teaser of Undekhi is finally out, and I am quite excited because it’s been more than a year since we finished shooting. The teaser in itself is quite intriguing. I can’t wait to share more about my role and the series, which is based on true events,” Apeksha signs off.