Talented and experienced actor, Sneha Wagh, who is playing Chandragupt Maurya’s mother in the Sony show of the same name, feels that the sudden rush of mytho/historical/fantasy shows is due to audience preference. “Nobody wants to invest on concepts that are passé. For a long time, social dramas ruled the roost, but not anymore.” Prior to this, she had also acted in period dramas, Sher-e-Punjab: Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Chandrashekhar (TV series), both of which did not last long.
Talking about her character, she says, “Given the fact that the show was given the green light late in the day, we all are trying to figure out our respective parts. All I know is that Moora, who is a queen in exile, has lots of layers. She is looking for her son, who can win back her former glory.”
Asked as to what would differentiate her show from its namesakes that had come before, she says, “Well, we have a different approach. Our story does not revolve around Chandragupta (Kartikey Malviya) alone, but also on my character and Chanakya’s (Tarun Khanna). Saurabh Raj Jain is doing a good job as the evil Dhana Nanda as well. The story has lots of political intrigue, as we represent an era where India was going through a bad phase.”
“We have a great team. Producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary goes out of the way to make us comfortable. I have been shooting in Umargoan (set in neighbouring Gujarat) for a few days and we all are working hard.”
Sneha, who gained fame with Jyoti, and later, Ek Veer Ki Ardaas…Veera, does not feel that Chandragupt Maurya will take a leap, as most historical shows tend to, “For our lead anyway is not a kid but a teenager, and history records that the founder of India’s first empire was quite young when he ascended the throne at Patliputra.”
With Bigg Boss on, we could not help but ask Sneha, who is one of its biggest fans, about the open letter which Teejay Sidhu wrote regarding the alleged mistreatment of her hubby, Karanveer Bohra. “It was not needed. We all need to relax, for although the format is called reality show, at the end of the day, it is an entertainment show and not real. Also, Salman was not wrong. Whatever he said was meant to be taken in jest. And taking a leaf out of Teejay’s book, family members of other contestants have also started sending open letters.”