My Dream Has Finally Come True: Ankita Lokhande on ‘Manikarnika’

The actor plays Rani Laxmibai’s advisor and soldier Jhalkaribai in the film.

TV actor Ankita Lokhande penned an emotional note on social media after the release of her Bollywood debut Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. The actor essays the role of Jhalkaribai, the legendary woman soldier who rose through the ranks and served as advisor to Rani Laxmibai, the Queen of Jhansi.

“I saw myself on the big screen for the first time. Yes, my dream has finally come true. Hard work has paid off. Watching myself as #JhalkariBai in #Manikarnika @manikarnikafilm.it was a very emotional moment for me. It was an overwhelming experience,” she wrote.

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I saw myself on the big screen for the first time. Yes, my dream has finally come true. Hardwork has paid off. Watching myself as #JhalkariBai in #Manikarnika @manikarnikafilm.it was a very emotional moment for me. It was an overwhelming experience. I want to thank each and every person who has been a part of my journey and has helped me achieve my goal. I want to thank @ektaravikapoor Ma'am for recognising the talent in me and giving me #PavitraRishta which gave me the identity across the country. @zeestudiosofficial @zeetv Zee has been a constant from #ZeeCineStarKiKhoj to #PavitraRishta and now #Manikarnika. Zee has always played an important role in this journey. I cannot thank enough to @kamaljain_thekj #KamalJain Sir for seeing the potential in me and giving me my dream debut. #KanganaRanaut @team_kangana_ranaut has been a best co-star and director. Thank you Kangana for always being there for me and taking this film a notch higher. I would also like to thank everyone from #media who has always showered their love and I hope you all will always support and encourage me. The person that I am today is all because of my fans. Words are not enough to express my love for them. Thank you all for always being there for me and now that I am stepping into another phase of my life, I hope that they will shower more love. Their love encourages me to do better and I hope that I will always receive the same in future.

A post shared by Ankita Lokhande (@lokhandeankita) on Jan 26, 2019 at 10:33pm PST

The actor called Kangana Ranaut the “best co-star and director”. “Thank you Kangana for always being there for me and taking this film a notch higher,” she wrote.

Ankita also took the opportunity to thank Ekta Kapoor for casting her in Pavitra Rishta, the show which garnered her attention on the small screen and Manikarnika producer Kamal Jain for taking a chance on her and giving her her “dream debut”. She also acknowledged her fans saying that “their love encourages me to do better”.

Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi follows the story of the legendary Rani Laxmibai who played a key role in India’s 1857 revolt against the British. The film stars Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni and Jisshu Sengupta.