MUMBAI: Actress Pallavi S Rao, whose show Qayamat se Qayamat Tak recently completed 50 episodes, says that she loves being part of Mrinal Abhigyan Jha Productions. She adds that the her role of Sumitra is one that is very close to her heart.

“I could see that Sumitra was a strong woman and an emotional mother. So, what actually caught my attention was that this is how I am in my daily life as well. She's possessive about her son. She's worried about her son. And the whole story starts with how Sumitra is dealing with the situation where her son is not reachable, and as his last known location, she's worried. So that initially grabbed my attention,” she says.

She adds, “If I talk about my character details, Sumitra is a typical mother. Normally, Indian mothers are supposed to be very emotional. At the same time, Sumitra is not only emotional; she's a fighter. She's scared for her son, but she's not scared of the situations coming up. She wants to face them. She wants to fight, she wants to save her son, and she'll do anything, even kill on the go. If her husband or other family members don't believe in her, she doesn't bother; she always wants to protect her son. It's a beautiful combination of being an emotional yet strong mother, which is what I was attracted to.”

In the last 50 episodes, she says that she has had a lot of special scenes. Talking about her most favourite sequences, she says, “There are so many, but there were a few scenes in the pre-leap where she is praying in the temple, doing the Maha Mrityunjaya jaap, that is special. The second one is where she misses her son, crying, and she hears her son approaching, then she grabs her son, crying, and also complains.”

Meanwhile, she loves working with the rest of the team. “The atmosphere is very nice and cool. Everyone is professional, and we have gradually bonded. We went to Ujjain together and we had our meals together there. I would say Abhigyan and Mrinal Jha are the best producers, the way they deal with the situation, they are so soft, so polite. I remember when I had some issues, Abhigyan sir called and talked to me at length, assuring me that they believed in me. They told me that I should be trusting myself. I was so overwhelmed and it was so supportive. There was a moment when I didn't believe that I could play Sumitra well but both the producers supported and encouraged me. I remember when we started shooting, Mrinal ma'am came and explained everything. My experience is very beautiful with them. I would love to work in future too,” she says.

Ask her what is the most rewarding aspect of being a part of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, and she says, “For me, the rewarding aspect is the happiness that I get playing a role like this one, which is powerful and emotional. I have played only comedy or grey characters in previous shows. But here I played a very emotional mother. I love the way she emotes on screen. I will never forget this show because it gave me a chance to explore myself. I have always got variations but I am thankful to God. I am thankful to BBC studios, Mrinal ma'am and Abhigyan sir for giving me Sumitra.”