I have noticed the characters I have portrayed get more audience sympathy: Leena Jumani

She has done just a couple of shows but Leena Jumani has still managed to establish her foothold. Better known as Khemi from Bandini, Leena is back in news with her portrayal of Pakhi in Sahara One's Ganga Ki Dheej. Despite the fact that Sahara One is not doing as well as expected, Ganga Ki Dheej is getting good TRPs. And, Leena’s performance has contributed to the show to a large extent TellyChakkar managed to catch the actress in-between her hectic shooting schedule for a chat. Tell us something about how Ganga Ki Dheej started for you… The production house called me for an audition and I went and gave it. I got selected but was not told for which role. Only after I passed the look test did I get to know it was for the lead part! That was a big and pleasant surprise for me. I felt very happy because the role was nice and there was a huge scope for improvement. I am enjoying every moment of Ganga Ki Dheej. You seem to be very excited about your experience in the show so far? I am! In one word, the experience till date has been amazing. The set, the look, the emphasis on quality, everything seems to be larger than life – something you will see in films. Thankfully, we are getting positive reactions. I am sharing screen with an actor like Kabir Bedi, what more I can ask for? It has been quite a life-changing experience for me after I started this show and shared screen with him. His glorifying personality, baritone … am really mesmerised. I call him Kabir Sir though off screen he is very friendly and is always ready to share his experience with us. This, I feel, is a great quality of a good actor. His presence in the show has made us proud. How would you describe Pakhi's character? Pakhi is a typical village girl. She is simple, innocent, sweet, chirpy, but has courage. She can change a lot of things using her inner courage. Thus when she becomes the victim of an evil system in the village, her inner strength and courage will help her come out of the situation and fight back. How did you prepare for this role? Since the show is based in West Bengal, my entire look is of a typical Bengali village girl. I have taken few reference points from Devdas. I watched the film a few times to check the dialogue delivery and to see how the saris are draped. Apart from that, our creative head Prakriti Mukherjee is also a Bengali so she helps me on a daily basis and ensures I portray my character as truthfully as I can. I also have to speak little bit of Bengali in the show and she helps me with that too. It is quite shocking to see such rituals being still prevalent in rural India…where women have to go through these situations. Having said that let me also clarify that the story is a work of fiction and the village an imaginary one and the writer has taken a lot of creative liberty. You have moved from modelling to films and then to television! That is not the usual route taken by actors… In my three years of experience, I have done three Gujarati films and also done a bit of modelling. I guess destiny decides everything. I am just thankful I am happy with what I have achieved till now and so is my family. That means a lot to me. My first show Bandini and my character Khemi was very popular and well accepted by the audience and the industry. I felt lucky to get this role at such an early age in my career. If you think of it, Khemi's role covered the entire span right from a young girl to a widower. Do you ever wish you did more ‘bubbly’ and girlie roles that suit your age? You seem to be getting into more and more sophisticated roles… (Smiles) Well…I do agree that Khemi and Pakhi are all simple, sober characters and I would definitely like to play a city girl in future. But I have noticed the type of characters I have played get more sympathy from the audience than a typical city girl would.