Mumbai, Aug 10 (IANS) Television actor Shashank Vyas remembered his late ‘Balika Vadhu’ co-star Pratyusha Banerjee on her birth anniversary on Monday.
He took to the Stories section of his official Instagram handle and uploaded a black and while picture of Pratyusha Banerjee. He also penned a heartfelt message for his late co-star, saying that she will always be ‘missed and loved’.
Shashank shared on the photo-sharing app, “Wherever you are, I hope you are at peace. Happy Birthday, my friend. You are missed, remembered, and loved—always (sic),” followed by a red heart and peace dove emoji.
Pratyusha Banerjee suddenly passed away on 1 April 2016 at the young age of 24. She was found hanging in her Mumbai apartment. Although the postmortem confirmed death by asphyxia, her parents alleged foul play involving her then boyfriend, Rahul Raj Singh.
Talking about ‘Balika Vadhu’, Shashank played Dr. Jagdish “Jagya” Singh on the beloved show, while Pratyusha Banerjee was seen as the grown-up Anandi Singh. Their pairing as husband and wife had received a lot of love from the audience.
‘Balika Vadhu’, which aired on Colors TV between 21 July 2008 and 31 July 2016 with 2,245 episodes, revolved around Anandi and Jagdish, who were married as children. It chronicles their journey through all the challenges faced by them and their families over the years.
The primary cast of the drama included Avika Gor as Young Anandi, Pratyusha Banerjee as Teenage Anandi, Toral Rasputra as Adult Anandi, Shashank Vyas as Jagdish Singh, Siddharth Shukla as Shivraj Shekhar, and Gracy Goswami – Nandini/Nimboli, along with others.
The show gained immense popularity, especially in rural areas. It also helped raise awareness about child marriage and women’s rights in the country.
A reboot of the original series, ‘Balika Vadhu 2’, was also launched on Colors TV in August 2021.
–IANS
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