Do Duniya, Ek Dil actor Pallavi Purohit’s journey into television didn’t begin with certainty or a perfectly planned entry. It unfolded through familiarity, chance conversations, and roles that often arrived before expectations had time to form.

“Before meeting Sudhanshu ji, my first impression of him was that he must be very arrogant. His face always looked very serious, so I assumed he would be quite rude. But once I met him, I realised he is actually very sweet and kind.”

She added, “Just before this, I was talking to someone and telling them that he hears some sensitive things, right? If there is a story or something from someone, tears come to his eyes. Meaning, without glycerine, he just cries like that, whether it is off-screen or on-screen. He is so soft-hearted.”

Her entry into television, like many parts of her career, wasn’t built on a single breakthrough moment. It was a series of familiar connections and steady auditions that eventually shaped her path. She said, “Well, a long time ago, I had done quite a few shows with Balaji Telefilms. There was a writer in them, Sharad Chandra Tripathi. Now, in this show, he is the writer. So I was in touch with him, and he asked me, ‘You’ve roamed around a lot. Will you do some work?’ So I said, ‘Yes, tell me what the work is.’ Then he explained it, and I liked the team very much. When you know people from before, it feels a bit like going back home. So I said, ‘Okay.’ But no matter how much work comes through recommendations, the process still remains the same.”

“You have to give auditions and go through look tests. You never get work without talent. Someone gave my name, but I still went through multiple auditions and look tests. Only after that did the makers finalise me for the role. Off-screen, my name is Pallavi, and on-screen, it is Pallavi in this too,” she added.

For her, familiarity may open a door, but the system still filters everyone through the same process. She said, “It doesn’t match at all. In real life, I am very naughty and a big mischief-maker, and in this, I am very timid and very submissive. And Sudhanshu Pandey, who is playing Baldev’s character, is so overpowering that words don’t come out of my mouth.”

“Right now, I am living in fear, but I feel that going forward, one day the Chandi avatar will emerge. There is still time for that,” she added.

That contrast between her real personality and her on-screen roles has followed her across projects, often becoming the foundation of the characters she ends up playing. She said, “Look, I haven’t sat down and watched the show on TV like that, but on Instagram or sometimes in reels, his scenes come up, so I have seen them.” Some people in my family watch it, so I know his character in Anupamaa.”

Her understanding of co-actors often comes in fragments rather than full viewings, shaped by reels, family conversations, and passing references. She said, “That story is such that, actually, the casting director called me.” When I went to give the audition, they realised it was a mix-up because I was the wrong Pallavi. He still said, ‘No problem, now that you have come, give the audition.’ I gave it, and they liked it very much.”

“The maker of the show had a lot of conviction that I would play the role well. There was a lot of discussion because they wanted a very timid, almost cow-like girl in front of them, someone who looks scared but has a journey. I don’t know if I look like that in real life, but I’m not like that at all,” Pallavi ended.