Ankita Lokhande's 39th birthday: Tracing her career in films
One of Indian television's most recognizable faces, Ankita Lokhande stepped into showbiz with the reality show India's Best Cinestars Ki Khoj in 2007. Then, in 2009, she found herself in the homes of thousands through her long-running daily soap Pavitra Rishta. Lokhande is also transitioning to the silver screen and these films are a testimony to that. On her 39th birthday, let's revisit.
'Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi'
Lokhande debuted in Hindi films in 2019 with the period war drama film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, where she was seen alongside Kangana Ranaut. She essayed Jhalkaribai, who was a close associate of Rani Lakshmi Bai, the central character. The film was directed by Ranaut and Krish Jagarlamudi, while the story was penned by RRR and Baahubali fame V Vijayendra Prasad.
'Baaghi 3'
Lokhande subsequently found greater acclaim and recognition when she was roped in Ahmed Khan's Baaghi 3, the third part in the action-thriller series Baaghi, led by Tiger Shroff. She played Ruchi Nandan Chaturvedi, the elder sister of Siya, portrayed by Shraddha Kapoor. Baaghi 3 also starred Riteish Deshmukh, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma, Jackie Shroff, Satish Kaushik, and Disha Patani in a cameo appearance.
'The Last Coffee'
Lokhande's relatively lesser-known film The Last Coffee came out this year and was helmed by Shoib Nikash Shah. IMDb desribes the plot as, "On the verge of a divorce, Rehaan and Iram meet for one last time over coffee. But they get stuck in a snowstorm and are left with no choice except to confront their pent-up feelings." Watch it on ZEE5.
'Swatantra Veer Savarkar' (unreleased)
Lokhande will next be seen in Swatantra Veer Savarkar, where she is essaying Yamunabai, Vinayak Savarkar's wife. The actor told Mid-Day, "People don't know what kind of a part [Yamunabai] played in Veer Savarkar's life, that's my journey in the film. I'm playing a role that ages from 16 to 60 years. I got to portray an entire graph and I love such roles."
