- Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saraswatichandra debuted in 2013 and became a hit show
- Leads Gautam Rode and Jennifer Winget had strong on-screen chemistry despite little interaction
- Gautam stated they barely spoke or exchanged numbers for one and a half years during shooting
Back in 2013, when Sanjay Leela Bhansali made his television debut with Saraswatichandra, the show quickly became a hit among audiences.
While the serial, based on Govardhanram Tripathi's novel of the same name, drew attention for its grand storytelling, viewers were especially fascinated by the chemistry between lead actors Gautam Rode and Jennifer Winget.
Over the years, rumours of the two dating each other off-screen also made headlines. However, Gautam Rode has now opened up about their bond during the shooting days and revealed that they barely interacted initially.
'There Was Nothing Between Us'
Speaking to Pinkvilla, Gautam said, "We did not speak with each other for one and a half years. We only greeted one another and did not even exchange our numbers. Everyone was surprised as to how is the chemistry so good between the two of us? As in she was in her zone and I was in my zone. We hardly spoke. She had got married recently at that time, and we used to do some readings for the scene and then go for the take, and then return."
The actor explained that he never believed off-screen friendship was necessary to create convincing on-screen chemistry.
He said, "We are professional actors, and even if we don't go to the other person or not see their faces, I can still work well with them, if they want to work as well. So I do not have any issues in that. It is my profession and it is not compulsory that we have to be best friends. But yes, we became good friends after one and a half years. Then we used to laugh and say why did not we speak earlier!"
Gautam further shared that during the initial phase of the show, both he and Jennifer were deeply focused on work and rarely discussed personal matters.
He added, "We hardly gave interviews, and then when we become friends, everyone thought they have such nice chemistry, they must be great friends, there must be something going on between them. But there was nothing between us."
Background
Following Jennifer Winget's separation from her then-husband Karan Singh Grover, rumours linking her with Gautam Rode once again surfaced online. However, both actors denied being in a relationship.
On the personal front, Gautam Rode married his co-actor Pankhuri Awasthy Rode in 2018. The couple welcomed twins in 2023 - a son named Raditya and a daughter named Radhya.
