The inside story of Keerti Gaekwad Kelkar

It comes as no surprise that the small screen today is filled with newcomers as well as actors who have been in the industry for quite a while now. As compared to earlier, the trend of making it to the big screen i.e. Bollywood has been slightly overshadowed by the emergence of new talent on the television show fronts. Prospective budding actors and actresses are now vying for a chance to get a break in a television show rather than a role in a movie. This new tactic does seem to hold some water seeing as the number of television shows emerging are much more than the number of films releasing every Friday. So obviously the directors of the television shows require greater number of fresh faces and talented actors and in the process of this very search, at times certain talented individuals stand out and make their mark. Keerti Gaekwad Kelkar is one such fine example who started her campaign in 2002 with a debut on the television show Kammal, playing the lead. So let’s delve into her life timeline and see how that young actor from Kammal went on and made it to the cast of the prominent television serial Choti Bahu in 2009.

Her first experience in the world of television started off with Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms offering her the lead role in Kammal, a story about the life and hardships of a woman and the tremendous odds she had to face. It was a challenging role and at her first attempt she was playing the lead. Was she nervous? Perhaps she was. However, director Hemant Prabhu recalls her being absolutely calm during the first day of shooting. He had noticed that there was a spark in this young lady, and while she had aced the screen tests, Hemant knew that she would be the perfect choice for playing Kammal on screen. And indeed, she was. With her natural flair and attitude, she did more than justice to the role of a young woman, brought up by three dancers, facing many hurdles in life.

Her inspiring debut actually caught the eyes of many directors and soon enough she was being offered roles in shows like Hotel Kingston and Sindoor Tere Naam Ka. Her shows were mostly aired on Zee TV, with the exception of Hotel Kingston that aired on Star One.  Sindoor Tere Naam Ka brought about an eventful phase in her career. Jay Productions didn’t offer her the lead but instead the role of Niharika, which first aired in the year 2005. Now although the spotlight remained on the lead Gurdeep Kohli playing the mentally unbalanced Vedika, Keerti also was lauded for her performance as Niharika. Another interesting fact is that she met her husband Sharad Kelkar on the sets of this very show.

Sharad Kelkar was playing the role of Rudra Raizada in the very same show, and although Sharad had been a part of the industry for quite a while, since 2005, this was the very first time they were working together. From there, they became friends and now they are a happily married couple. In fact, Sharad and Keerti even starred in the famous dance reality show Nach Baliye in 2006. Nach Baliye as we all know is the popular dance reality show for celebrity couples. The appearance had boosted their publicity and soon they were prominent faces of the industry. This led to Keerti being offered the role of Kannan Sinha in the very popular show Kahin toh Hoga, which aired on Star Plus. Alongside that, she also was cast in her husband’s television show Saat Phere for the role of Chandni /Devika.

In 2009, an opportunity presented itself when Zee TV decided to launch the show Choti Bahu. She was cast in the primary antagonist role along with co-star Rajiv Kumar. This was something she hadn’t attempted before. When her character, Mrinalini Purohit hit the screens, she was seen in a totally different avatar. The sweet innocent Keerti who once played a humble Kammal was now seen as the shrewd, conniving and plotting Mrinalini, and even as the audience despised her character for the planning and plotting, they simply loved her performance.

As of the present, Keerti Gaekwad Kelkar hasn’t been seen in any recent television shows, so the last time we saw her on screen was the first season of Choti Bahu. But we are confident that we shall soon see her again on the small screen.