Mumbai, April 18 (IANS) Actress Aarchi Sachdeva, who plays Payal in “Kumkum Bhagya”, talked about her journey from aviation to joining the world of showbiz. She said she feels grateful for every role that’s shaped her as an actor.

With her aviation training nearly complete, she was all set to embrace life in the skies as a cabin crew member. But as fate would have it, a spontaneous decision, inspired by her mother, to attend an audition changed everything.

Aarchi said: “I come from a family with no ties to the entertainment world, so acting was never really on my radar while growing up. I always imagined myself doing something simple and stable.”

“In fact, I even worked as an art teacher for a while before deciding to pursue aviation. I studied hard, gave interviews with several airlines, and was genuinely set on becoming a cabin crew member.”

She said somewhere deep down, there was always a love for acting.

“A dream I had quietly carried since childhood. It was my mom who reminded me of that passion. She encouraged me to start auditioning, just to see where it might lead, while I was still preparing for airline interviews. To my surprise, I landed an opportunity, and from the moment I stepped on set, it felt right. That’s when I decided to let go of aviation and move to Mumbai to follow my heart,” said Aarchi.

She added: “Looking back, it feels surreal — like life had a plan I didn’t even know about. I feel incredibly grateful for every role that’s shaped me as an actor, but Kumkum Bhagya holds a special place in my heart.”

“Being part of such an iconic show with such a loyal audience has truly been a blessing. The love and appreciation I’ve received mean more than I can put into words. What started as a leap of faith turned into a dream I now get to live every day.”

Kumkum Bhagya airs on Zee TV.