While a number of actors had come forward and made statements after Pratyusha Banerjee’s death, very few of them were actually very close to the actress. One of them was Shashank Vyas. Well, fans will know that she was working with him on Colors’ hit show Balika Vadhu that made them household names. They portrayed the grown-up Jagdish and Anandi to perfection. After her death, Shashank in an exclusive to Bollywood Life had lambasted everyone to tried to seek publicity from her death. Today, on the occasion of her first death anniversary, Shashank in an exclusive to IndiaForums.com remembered his co-star with great fondness. (Also Read: The road to justice is not easy,’ says Pratyusha Banerjee’s father Shankar)
The Jaana Na Dil Se Door actor said that she was his first co-star and had a special significance in his life. He told the portal, “A thing which is done for the first time in life always holds a special place in one’s heart. Be it your first car, your first show or…your first heroine. Pratyusha was a very dear friend of mine. It may sound cliched but I still can’t believe that Pratyusha is not with us.” Besides the fact that they were co-stars, Pratyusha and he had the similarity that they belonged to small town India and lived alone in the city. Shashank belongs to Ujjain while Pratyusha was from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. He revealed how they travelled together and were like buddies. He said, “We had a great bonding, we were like buddies. I used to reach Naigaon railway station from Santacruz and wait for her to come from Andheri. We used to travel together. One thing I was very jealous of was Pratyusha’s memory, which was razor sharp. Unlike her, I used to take me a long time to memorize my lines.” (Also Read: Pratyusha Banerjee – A look at the life of the talented actress)
The actor spoke about how work was the only thing that was on Pratyusha’s mind when she started out as Anandi. He said he saw her grown as an actress on Balika Vadhu. The two spent time together off the camera as friends discussing work and personal problems. Shashank has earlier said how he was shocked when he heard about her committing suicide on the fateful afternoon of April 2. He also said there was a lesson from Pratyusha’s tragic and untimely demise. He said, “All actors on television are artists. They are not legends or stars. When you are not doing a show you are no one. To become an artist one should have purity in his/her heart. I enjoy my success and fame but I have never taken it seriously.” The actor said that finding a sense of balance was very important in life.