Avantika Dasani, daughter of actress Bhagyashree, was in Lucknow recently. Avantika, who debuted on the OTT this year, talked about her relationship with her mother and how she plans to make her mark in the industry. Calling herself an ‘OTT Baby’, she says, “I am very excited to see where the web space takes me. Characters that we see on the web are not all goody two shoes. OTT gives you a lot more than what commercial cinema does. There is room being made for everyone and yes, I am very excited about that. The kind of stories, the character, the engagement, that is something that is really exciting. Also, it is a platform where there are different types of people, there isn’t any age barrier, look barrier or anything to be an OTT star. You have to be good at what you do as an actor. Take for example Raveena (Tandon) and Sushmita (Sen) ma’am, who are doing awesome stuff on OTT.”

Just like her mom, Avantika also has drawn some lines for herself for the kind of roles she would like to do. “I don’t like to use the word bold when it comes to such content. However, if ever I do such a scene, there has to be a proper reasoning for that. My openness to doing ‘bold’ stuff in films or OTT definitely has a lot of limits. There is a limit on what is allowed and what is not allowed and maybe it is in my blood and what I have seen around me. I do have my boundary set for bold content.”

Ask Avantika if the younger lot of actors crave to be a film star or if are they happy making their own space on the web, and she says, “To see yourself on the big screen as an actor is lovely and exciting. At the same time, I worked with Rohan Sippy on my web project, where Huma Qureshi was my co-actor along with Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Rajit Kapur. The craving for the big screen is definitely not that much today for the simple reason that the script that we are getting to see on the web is exciting for an actor.”

Avatika’s mom Bhagyashree got married at a very early age. We ask what Avantika has to say about her mom’s decision. “Well, there is a reason why my mom was ready to give up all of her life for a man so interesting like my dad Himalay Dassani. Also, when my mom got married that time was really different than what it is today. The kind of opportunities that I have got are very different from what my mom got. For example, I went to London to study for three years, while my mom didn’t. Today, my mom is a certified nutritionist and has had a successful business and has also done different things in life. Things are really different today,” she signs off.

— With inputs from Vivek Kumar