EXCLUSIVE: Sayli Salunkhe on her first mythological show Veer Hanuman; her role, preparations, and more

Sayli Salunkhe will be seen as Anjani Maa in the upcoming serial Veer Hanuman. Read on to know more about her character and how she prepared for it.

By Shaibalina Choudhury

Published on Feb 01, 2025 | 08:19 PM IST | 5.1K

(PC: Sayli Salunkhe Instagram)

Popular television actress Sayli Salunkhe is trying her hands at something new and she will be seen in a mythological serial for the first time. The actress has been roped in to play the role of Anjani Maa, Lord Hanuman’s mother in the upcoming serial Veer Hanuman. Ahead of the show’s premiere, Sayli Salunkhe sits with us for a candid conversation about the show, her role, and more.

Sayli Salunkhe talks about her character in Veer Hanuman. She shares, “We all know about Anjani putra Hanuman. Kyase Anjani maa Hanuman ko parvarish diye, kyase Hanuman ji aaj Hanuman ji hain. Janam ke baad ek bachha jayse banta hain, it’s all because of his or her mother. Kyunki unki jo parvarish hoti hain, wahi parvarish unhe ek achha insaan banati hain.”

She adds, “So, we will show how Anjani maa raised Hanuman ji, kyase pyaar se unhe badha kiya hain. Jab Hanuman ji unke pet mein the, she knew kitna sacrifice karna padhega, kyunki Anjani maa the apsara. So she was ready to leave her immortality for her baby.”

“There are many things that people don’t know yet, and through this show Veer Hanuman, viewers will learn a lot of things about Hanuman ji, Kesari, Anjani maa,” shares the actress.

Talking about what attracted her to the project, she says, “As a person, as an actor, and a performer, I also needed to know a lot of things. Toh mujhe ye itni achhi opportunity mili hain, so I thought let’s just grab it and let’s do the project. I never thought I would do mythology.”

“I went for a normal shoot on another channel, and the makers saw me there. They approached with the character of Anjani and they told me they see her in me. I was very confused,” mentions Salunkhe.

Sayli goes on to say that it was her parents who convinced her to do the serial. They explained that she might get to learn a lot of new things from a mythological show and it also might be that Lord Hanuman sent her this role. “Agar makers itna push kar rahe hain, toh let’s just try this role, kuch naya karne ko milega,” added the actress.

Sayli also took us on the journey of how she prepared for the role of Anjani Maa. “Mytho is a completely different world for me. So, firstly, I had to understand and pick up the character’s body language– how they speak and mannerisms. I talked to the production house and started watching their mythological shows,” said the actress.

She added, “I don’t want to look like a 26-27 year old girl who doesn’t know how to be a mother. The character is a mature woman whose characteristics and body language would be different from a young girl. So, I have already started working on picking up the body language.”

In the same conversation, Saylli Salunkhe talked about whether mythological serials still resonate with modern audiences. “The makers are very understanding that purane taur tareekein se cheezon ko portray nahi kar sakte hain. Audience taab hi connect kar payenge jo unke life se resonate karega. There are angles that the modern audience that connect to. Also, the language is very simple which viewers will enjoy,” stated Sayli.

In the late ‘90s, Jai Veer Hanuman used to air on television which was very popular in those days. She concluded by sharing her thoughts on living up to the audience's expectations or comparisons being drawn to the old serial. “Aap kisiko copy nahi kar sakte hain. You should have your own way of portraying. Maybe I won’t watch the old show, I will only read books. Because people have seen Sayli and I want viewers to see Sayli in a certain way. Even if I try to copy-paste, it won’t look good because every actor has their own way,” signed off the actress.