Leena Jumani: I was nervous & excited about replacing another actress

Ahmedabad’s Leena Jumani, who started off her career as a model, turned to the arclights to take her career forward. After debuting with Bandini followed by a number of shows in almost all genres, Leena took a step forward in a character role in Sajid Khan’s Himmatwala and even played the parallel lead in the Gujarati film — Saathiyo Chalyo Khodaldham. Now replacing actress Madhurima Tuli in Kumkum Bhagya, Leena shares with Ahmedabad Times why she is both excited and nervous!
ALSO READ: I feel I’m blessed says Leena Jumani
Explaining why she felt that way, Leena said, “There is always a risk in replacing another actress, because people are already used to seeing that face in that particular role.It is a task for me as an actor to earn audiences’ faith. Log compare bhi karne wale hai. I’m the parallel lead and am playing a supermodel for the first time. So it is also a new role play for me. That added to the nervousness. Dono cheezein first time hai isliye darr lagta hai.” She adds, “I also felt that I’ve never replaced another actress in any of the shows that I have done. So woh replacement ka bhi maza toh lena chahiye! Because I have never played a supermodel before, it took me a bit of time to get into the skin of the character. I got a lot of support from the creative directors, so it helped. This is my third show with the channel, so I’m feeling good and think audiences will like me in this role.”
ALSO READ: Leena Jumani’s stint on the ad space
The actress, who has done a number of cameos and episodics, says, “I try to do something different each time. If it is the same role as my previous show, I’m adding nothing to myself as an actress. I need to push the boundaries as an actress.” Ask her if she’s aiming to do more Gujarati films now that she has made her debut, she says, “What attracted me to Saathiyo… was the story and the way my character was sketched. It depends on the story and my role — if it is good, why not!”
WATCH: TV star Leena Jumani in Ahmedabad