Following online backlash over not mourning the death of Marathi TV actress Priya Marathe on Instagram, Ankita Lokhande on Monday penned a long post, saying that her 'Pavitra Rishta' co-star will "always live in my heart and in my memories" as her "first friend" from the show.
The Marathi TV actress died on Sunday after a prolonged battle with cancer. She played Varsha—the sister of Lokhande's character Archana—on the famed Hindi TV serial, alongside the late Sushant Singh Rajput. Both actresses are highly known for their performances in this show.
"She was there in my good days and held me through my sad days… never once missing to show up when I needed her. She never missed attending the Gauri Maha Aarti during Ganpati Bappa, and this year, I’ll pray for your soul there, my wedee … while missing you dearly," Lokhande added in the post, celebrating Marathe's strength of character.
Urging people to be kind always, she wrote that she would forever remember the special bond that she shared with Marathe and another 'Pavitra Rishta' co-star Prathana Behere.
In her own post mourning the actress' death, Behere spoke of how Marathe had been her "first friend" from the show as well, wistfully recounting the time Marathe had visited her house in Alibaug.
"Cancer sucked her body, but her mind, her soul, her firmness—it could not beat any disease. She taught me to live and laugh till the last moment. She’s gone, but her memories, her smile, her acting brightness—everything is still with me. A part of my life went with her, and that part I’ll treasure—forever," she added.
Netizens had criticised Lokhande in the comments section of her latest Instagram post—published on the day of Marathe's death—after she did not put up a single post or Story on Instagram mourning her 'Pavitra Rishta' sister's death.
