From ‘Pavitra Rishta’ to Manikarnika, Ankita Lokhande is one of India’s most critically and widely appreciated television actresses, and she is stilled perceived as “Archana” across every state and has surpassed every level of dedication and skill an actor needs to possess.
Born in a middle class Marathi family, Ankita was born in December 19, 1984 in Indore.Her father Shashikant Lokhande is a banker and her mother Vandana Pandis Lokhande is a teacher. She has a brother Sooraj Lokhande and a younger sister Jyoti Lokhande.
Ankita Lokhande’s real name is Tanuja. The name ‘Ankita’ has been given as a pet name by her family. Ankita stopped her education midway in 2005 to pursue her dream of becoming an actor in Mumbai.
Ankita is an amazing badminton player . She was a state level badminton player in college. She is a graceful dancer too.Ankita started her career with Idea Zee Cinestar’s during 2006-2007. She was about to make her screen debut with another show but it got delayed and Ankita was selected for the role of Archana in Pavitra Rishta.
Ankita has been awarded several times for her amazing performance in Pavitra Rishta. She won ITA Award for Gr8! Face Female in 2010, Zee Rishtey Award for Favourite Popular Face (Female) in 2011, Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 2011 and Zee Rishtey Award for Zee Personality of the Year in 2012.
When Ankita Lokhande was asked to ‘sleep with a producer’
When Ankita Lokhander just started to look for a role in TV or film, she was told to compromise exchange for a role in the movie. During an interview with Bollywood Bubble she said, “I was so smart, I was alone in that room and was 19 or 20 years old, and asked him, ‘Which type of compromise does your producer want? Do I have to go for parties or dinners?’”
“And the moment he said it, maine uski band baja di thi (I took him to task). I told him, ‘I think your producer wants a girl to sleep with, not a very talented girl to work with.’ And I left from there. He then apologized and said he will try to take me to his film. But I said, ‘If you try and take me in also, I’m not interested in your film,’” she added.
Talking about her other casting couch experience, Ankita said, “When I got back again into films, I felt it again, just shaking hands with that person. I don’t want to take names, he was a big actor. I got those vibes, and I quickly got my hands away from him. I knew it, ab mera yahaan nahi hoga (it will not work out for me), because it is a give and take thing. I understood and I left from there because it was not for me.”