I was apprehensive about 'Balika Vadhu': Sriti Jha

New Delhi: Sriti Jha is the new entry into the social-issue based serial 'Balika Vadhu', but the TV actress says she was initially apprehensive about taking up the show as she was not playing a lead role in it. Sriti, who was last seen playing the lead in 'Dil Se Di Dua Saubhagyavati Bhava' as a victim of domestic violence, will be seen essaying the role of Ganga.

"I was initially apprehensive to play a second lead in the show because I have always played lead in serials. But, I took up this project because I have not yet done a character set in rural backdrop. The kind of space I was getting in the serial was very different. Through this show, I am going to learn as an artiste," Sriti told PTI.

Sriti was introduced in the Colors show earlier this month and as the drama progresses, her character, who is also a sufferer of child marriage, will be supported by Jagya (played by Shashank Vyas).

"Ganga is from a village in Rajasthan, where her voice is always suppressed by men. She is very weak as she is a victim of child marriage. But unlike others, she is not helpless. She has become wise now after going through a lot of troubles in life," she said.

The 26-year-old actress said she had to learn the dialect spoken in that area and also had to work on her body language.

"The character was not a cakewalk for me. I had to learn the language of that area. My director and writer helped me.

Moreover, I also had to undergo a body language regime and had to understand how a rural woman behaves in a particular situation," she said.

Sriti made her television debut in 'Dhoom Machaao Dhoom' on Disney Channel India where she played the shy and superstitious Malini Sharma, who is part of a musical group.

Her innocent girl-next-door looks in the show led her to being cast as the lead in the romantic drama 'Jiya Jale'. But her stint as Jhanvi in 'Dil Se Di Dua - Saubhagyavati Bhava' gave her the requisite fame.

"I always wanted to act and I feel blessed that I have got so many different shades of a woman to portray on-screen.

But, out of all these, my character in 'Saubhagyavati Bhava' is close to my heart. It gave me a platform to prove myself as an actress," she said.