When Spike came her way, Rasika Dugal instantly said yes to the project, eager to realise her long-standing wish of being part of a sports drama. That she was a novice at volleyball would not deter her from essaying the role of a volleyball coach on screen. The actor, instead, viewed the Nishtha Shailajan and Dhaval Shah-helmed show as both — a challenge, and an opportunity to pick up a new skill. “I trained in volleyball for three months. I can’t claim to have learnt a new sport in [such a short] time because that is nearly impossible when you haven’t had previous exposure to it. But I started from scratch, and now I am hooked to the game,” exclaims Dugal, who has headed Palampur to film the second schedule of the series.
The actor, who believes in prepping extensively for her characters, not only took to the volleyball court with a vengeance, but also integrated the sport into her daily life. “I didn’t want to limit it only to the time I trained for it. So, I started following numerous Instagram handles on the sport, and of a few international players. Now, every time I look at my phone, there is a notification related to volleyball,” she laughs.
