Reel Life Sprinter Meets Real Life Legend
'Meri Durga' has been an outclass serial that breaks all the stereotypes about a young girl's dream. Now, that the show has taken a decade's leap, the 'chotti' Durga has grown into a beautiful 19 year old. The character is being played by Srishti Jain who after struggling for two years in the TV industry has bagged such a stint.
Being in Chandigarh, the on screen athlete 'Durga' had a chance to meet The Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh. Overwhelmed by the experience she says, "Milkha Singh is 90 years old and meeting him in person is the best experience of my lifetime. The tips and things he shared with me would be in my mind forever. He is a very humble and down to earth person." Talking about the show, Srishti says, "Now that Durga has grown up, she doesn't want to be an athlete anymore as the setback she faced years back is still ringing in the back of her mind. Now, it is the opposite, her father now wants her to run but she wants to study and achieve big in her life."
Hailing from Bhopal and having lived in quite different cities, Srishti is quirky about her struggles in Mumbai, "As I am living over here with my family, that struggle was saved. But, giving infinite auditions and getting rejected in most of them had put me into a low phase of my life and I wasn't keen on acting anymore." So, how did she bag the role of Durga with Star Plus? "I was called upon by the casting director to come for the auditions but I had my exams then, so he said record your audition on phone and send it to us. I did so but wasn't confident that I would be selected. Thankfully, I was but another struggle happened but in a comic way. I was a bit plump when I was given the role, so playing the character of an athlete I had to lose weight. I lost about 9 kilos in just a month!"
