A lot has been said about how finicky the doyen of Indian soaps Ekta Kapoor (Balaji Telefilms) is when it comes to the casting of her actors. She is said to have gone through as many as 7000 audition entries in the course of a nationwide hunt spanning 8 months before she gave her final nod of approval to the beautiful Paridhi Sharma to play Jodhaa in her historical magnum opus coming up on Zee TV, Jodhaa Akbar. It is interesting to note here that there was one other prominent face amongst the 7000 aspiring Jodhaa that had almost made the cut. Insiders reveal that Toral Rasputra had also auditioned for the coveted role and the creative team was quite impressed with her. However, Ekta took one look at her and said, “That’s not my Jodhaa!” For Jodhaa, Ekta reveals, “I wanted someone who possesses the radiance and dignity of the loveliest Rajput princess Indian history’s seen. I’m told Jodhaa was someone whose eyes conveyed humility, simplicity, courage and conviction. Paridhi embodies everything I had in mind for Jodhaa. When Paridhi stood there in Jodhaa’s bridal finery and delivered some of her lines, I knew the role belonged to her.” Paridhi Sharma has previously been a part of Ekta’s productions but this is her first role as a lead. With a big smile on her face, Paridhi said, “Landing Jodhaa’s role is a dream come true. To begin with, the fact that it’s a lead role in an Ekta Kapoor production … on a popular channel like Zee TV … add to that the fact that I’m playing a famous historical figure in a lavish period drama … Could I possibly ask for more?” She added, “I know the expectations are sky high and I have a tough task ahead….but I know I’ll strive hard, work my strengths to my advantage and deliver.” Zee TV has tasted extraordinary success in its previous attempt of bringing alive the journey of a historical figure, with ‘Jhansi Ki Rani’. The channel’s partnership with Ekta has also been a gloriously successful one, what with Pavitra Rishta being the first serial on Zee TV that has recently completed a commendable run of 3 years and 1000 episodes, consistently ruling the ratings game.