Ankita Lokhande Recalls Dreaming of Devdas in Class 11

Recalling the release of Devdas in 2002, she wrote that she was in Class 11 at the time and was “only dreaming and trying to convince” herself that she would one day come to Mumbai and become a heroine.

“Can I go back to 2000 when Devdas was released and i clearly remember I was in 11th standard and only dreaming and trying to convince I was dreaming of coming to Mumbai and becoming a heroine. That little girl had no idea where life would take her, but today, looking back, my heart is filled with gratitude. Some films don’t just stay with you—they become a part of your dreams and your journey. Forever and always a fan. #devdas,” she wrote.

Lokhande began her career in the entertainment industry with Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj and made her television debut with Ekta Kapoor’s Pavitra Rishta in 2009. She played the role of a simple middle-class girl, Archana Deshmukh. The show ran until 2014, and her performance as Archana became one of the defining roles of her television career.

After establishing herself on television, she transitioned to films. She made her Bollywood debut as Jhalkari Bai in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, released in 2019. She subsequently appeared in Baaghi 3 and later featured in Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.

She has also explored reality television, participating in shows including Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Bigg Boss 17.

The social-media recreation of Bairi Piya served both as a nostalgic tribute to a film that shaped her early aspirations and as a reflection on the path that took her from a Class 11 student in the early 2000s to a recognised face in television and cinema.