Ankita Lokhande and late Sushant Singh Rajput’s Pavitra Rishta completed 16 years on June 2, 2025. The actress made her debut with the TV show, which was also a hit because of veteran actress, Usha Nadkarni. The 79-year-old actress played the role of Ankita’s on-screen mother-in-law, ‘Savita Deshmukh’, who was shown to be strict towards Ankita’s character, ‘Archana’. Now, Ankita invited Usha to her home for the celebration of Pavitra Rishta completing 16 years, and Usha shared about how she is scared to stay alone at her age.
Usha Nadkarni becomes emotional, expresses her fear of staying alone in Mumbai at 79
Ankita and Sushant’s characters as ‘Archana’ and ‘Manav’ had a separate fan base. Their on-screen bond with Usha in the serial kept the audience hooked to the serial. Ankita had recently called Usha to her house in Mumbai, and both of them remembered fond memories from Pavitra Rishta’s shooting days. Usha did become emotional and shared that staying alone at the age of 79 in Mumbai has not been easy for her. She shared her fears and told Ankita and her husband, Vicky Jain, that:
“Ghar mein akeli hoon na, darr lagta hai mein girungi, kisko malum nahi padega. My brother passed away last year on June 30. If he had understood that I was going through something, he would have come running to me. Now, whom should I tell?
Ankita also shared that Usha is a strong lady as she has been staying alone for years. The actress could think of her mom, who has also been staying alone after Ankita’s dad passed away.
Ankita Lokhande remembers late ex-boyfriend, Sushant Singh Rajput
Ankita, going further, remembered her late boyfriend, Sushant Singh Rajput. For the unversed, it was on the sets of Pavitra Rishta that Sushant and Ankita fell in love and were in a relationship for many years. The actress recollected and told Usha and her husband, Vicky Jain, how Sushant used to help her with the scenes as she was scared to go in front of the directors. She shared:
“Sushant itna acha actor tha. Woh mujhe bohot help karta tha kyuki jab mein sab actors ke samne jati thi, mujhe bohot darr lagne lagta tha ki mein kaise itne bade-bade scenes karu. Woh mujhe sikhata tha.”
Speaking of Usha’s character as ‘Savita’ in Pavitra Rishta, she was shown to be an antagonistic mom-in-law to ‘Archana’. Her character arc had many emotional ups and downs, and she was known for her razor-sharp tongue, traditional mind and dramatic upfronts. ‘Savita’ was very protective of ‘Manav’ and her full family.
When Usha Nadkarni shared being angry during the auditions of Pavitra Rishta
Usha had received overnight fame with her role as ‘Savita’ in Pavitra Rishta. Earlier, in an interview with Pinkvilla, Usha shared that she was angry when she was called for the audition of the serial. This is because she did not expect that the makers would take her audition, as with the same production house, she had done three shows, and at that point in life, she was in need of work. Usha shared:
“Itna kaam karne ke baad bhi Pavitra Rishta ke time, 1.5 panne ka scene karne ko lagaya. Bohot gussa aaya tha muje audition ko bulaya tabhi. Lekin kya karu, kaam nahi tha na. Chup chap bardaasht kiya aur kaam karke aayi. Mila muje. Pavitra Rishta kiya maine.”
What are your views on Usha Nadkarni feeling lonely in Mumbai at the age of 79?
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