Shivani Raghuvanshi on Roshni’s Dupahiya Season 2 Evolution

For Shivani Raghuvanshi, a second season is more than a return — it is a rare chance to redo. The actor, whose journey spans the raw debut in Titli and the breakout turn as Jazz in Made in Heaven, says coming back to shoot Dupahiya Season 2 felt different because she already knew the character, the village and the tone before the camera rolled.

Roshni’s second act

Shivani plays Roshni Jha, the fair-skinned, upper-class girl in a village who believed her looks would open every door. In the first season, she was mostly preoccupied with prettiness. By the end, reality had started to crack that bubble.

“In the first season, Roshni was quite shallow,” she told Filmfare. Season 2 does not reinvent her overnight. Instead, the show lets her sit with a new understanding: being pretty is not enough, and she now has to prove she is capable.

That halfway state — same person, bigger questions — is what made the role exciting for her. A second season let her approach scenes with the clarity that comes only after watching a show as an audience member.

Learning from the ensemble

Shivani calls Dupahiya the most fun set she has been on. Working with Gajraj Rao did not bring the pressure usually attached to senior actors. She describes him as young at heart, the person who keeps the cast and crew together.

Her other anchors were mood-dependent: Renuka for serious conversations, and Sparsh for badminton, gossip and downtime.

• Gajraj Rao made everyone comfortable without creating hierarchy.
• Zoya Akhtar, on Made in Heaven, acted less like an explainer and more like a character compass.
• For Shivani, co-actors like Vijay Raaz became a form of on-the-job training.

The outsider question

Shivani is candid about the biggest challenge: not having a support system. She points to successful outsiders like Shah Rukh Khan, Jackie Shroff and Govinda as proof that audiences reward good work. But the absence of a family that has seen the industry’s ups and downs makes the uncertainty harder to process.

She recalled being upset when one project did not work and wondering if she would be offered anything again. That “only as good as your last project” feeling, she says, is the harsh part of learning on the job.

What she is looking for next

Her priority is not volume. She has turned down scripts because the story did not connect. The role she considers her turning point remains Jazz in Made in Heaven, partly because of Zoya Akhtar’s empathy toward characters. Working with Zoya moved her from intimidation to ease, and Shivani now wants directors such as Imtiaz Ali and Farhan Akhtar on her slate.

“I’ve always admired Imtiaz’s films,” she said, naming Socha Na Tha as a personal favourite. On the acting side, her wishlist includes Ranveer Singh and Vicky Kaushal, the latter someone she has known since Masaan and Titli released around the same time.

Source: Filmfare

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#Bollywood#Celebrity interview#Dupahiya#Gajraj Rao#Made in Heaven#Shivani Raghuvanshi#Zoya Akhtar