Gram Chikitsalay: Alia Bhatt's BFF Akansha Ranjan Kapoor recalls real-life ride-or-die situation; director warned she'd lose show if...

When Akansha Ranjan Kapoor signed on for Gram Chikitsalay, she didn’t expect the role to push her out of her comfort zone quite so literally. To bring authenticity to her character, the actress had to master something she had always avoided, riding a scooty.

Set in the heartland of India, Gram Chikitsalay is Prime Video’s upcoming slice-of-life series that shines a light on the rural healthcare system. In the show, Akansha plays Dr. Gargi, a young doctor in a remote village. But to truly become Gargi, she had to do more than just understand the character; she had to physically become her, scooty rides and all.

Akansha recalled that during her first meeting with director Rahul Pandey, he casually asked if she knew how to ride a two-wheeler. When she said no, his quick response was to learn it. At first, she thought he wasn’t serious. But when he jokingly warned that she might lose the show if she didn’t learn, the comment hit differently. It felt like a challenge.

Riding a scooty might seem simple to many, but for Akansha, who had never even ridden a bicycle, it felt like a huge leap. She had always been afraid of two-wheelers and hadn’t pictured herself on one, let alone riding it on camera. But instead of stepping away, she decided to embrace the fear.

For a month, she practiced riding, slowly building up the confidence to handle the scooty on her own. Even during filming, when the team brought in a body double to shoot the scene, she insisted on doing it herself. She had spent weeks preparing for that moment and wasn’t about to let someone else take her place.

The scene took hours to shoot, but Akansha enjoyed every bit of it. It turned out to be one of the most satisfying parts of her experience on set. The actress feels proud that she overcame a long-held fear for the role and now holds a new skill that she might never have learned otherwise.

Directed by Rahul Pandey and created by Deepak Kumar Mishra, Gram Chikitsalay also stars Amol Parashar and Vinay Pathak. The series follows the story of Dr. Prabhat, a city-based doctor who takes charge of a rundown Primary Health Centre in the village of Bhathkandi. Akansha plays a key role alongside Anandeshwar Dwivedi, Akash Makhija, and Garima Vikrant Singh.

The show will premiere on May 9 on Prime Video.

ALSO READ: Gram Chikitsalay: Did Amol Parashar feel overshadowed by Vinay Pathak during shoot? Actor jokes his scenes felt ‘dull’