Chetna Pande revealed that Vikram Bhatt replaced another actress after feeling he hadn’t found the perfect Sunheri.
The filmmaker reportedly discovered Chetna Pande through a photograph of her in a black saree.
She admitted she initially thought Vikram Bhatt was joking when he offered her the role.
Chetna Pande credited Vikram Bhatt for believing in her and trusting her with the emotionally demanding character.
She said her personal heartbreak after Temptation Island helped her connect with Sunheri.
Vikram Bhatt encouraged her to channel her real emotions into her performance.
One assault sequence in the film left Chetna Pande emotionally shaken and gave her a deeper understanding of survivors’ trauma.
Chetna Pande said the experience stayed with her for days and strengthened her empathy for women who have endured abuse.

Chetna Pande’s role as Sunheri in Haunted 3D: Echoes Of The Past is the kind of role most actors wait a lifetime for. But the way it came to her was anything but planned. Although Vikram Bhatt had already started shooting the film with another actress, he wasn’t satisfied, believing he still hadn’t found the perfect Sunheri.

Chetna Pande said, “While scrolling through pictures, he saw one of mine in which I was wearing a black saree. At that moment he felt that maybe this girl could be Sunheri. He called me and asked me to meet him.”

How Vikram Bhatt Discovered Chetna Pande for Sunheri

Chetna Pande had met Vikram about three years earlier, when she was doing Khatron Ke Khiladi. During that meeting, she had shared her struggles with him. Now, he was offering her the role that would change everything. When I met him, he told me they had already started shooting, but he still hadn’t found the right Sunheri. That’s when he said he wanted to cast me. I honestly thought he was joking. But he said, no, we are starting to shoot tomorrow. I signed the contract immediately.”

She credits Vikram entirely for the character. Chetna Pande said, “I would like to give the biggest credit to Vikram sir for Sunheri because he wrote the character so beautifully. More importantly, he trusted me enough to believe that I could play this role. When he first told me about the character, I was not sure whether I would be able to do justice to it because it was a very challenging role.”

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The emotional depth she brought to Sunheri wasn’t just acting. It was personal. Chetna Pande said, “The person I had become after Temptation Island was very similar to Sunheri. Both Sunheri and I had broken hearts. Even after fighting so many battles, you feel like giving up, but somehow you gather yourself and continue fighting.”

Vikram saw it in her immediately. Chetna Pande said, “When I met Vikram sir after the show, he looked at me and said, ‘Something has happened to Chetna. Something inside you is broken.’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He told me, ‘Protect those emotions because they will help you. Use them in front of the camera. Don’t waste them in your everyday life.”

Chetna Pande Says One Scene Changed Her Perspective on Trauma

Every scene in the film was demanding, but one affected her deeply. Chetna Pande said, “Sunheri is sitting, and the monster comes close to her and kisses her neck before everything unfolds. While performing that scene, where she plans to kill him, I truly understood how women who face assault or abuse must feel.”

“For the first time, I felt what it’s like to be touched against your will or have someone force themselves on you. It’s one of the most terrifying and unsettling feelings imaginable. The anger that came out of me was completely real,” Chetna Pande added.

That scene left a lasting mark on her. Chetna Pande said, “At that moment, I genuinely felt like I wanted to kill that person. I understood why someone who has suffered so much reaches a point where they feel they have no option left. That experience gave me goosebumps.”

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‘It Made Me Deeply Empathise With Women,’ Says Chetna Pande

“It made me deeply empathise with women who have endured such trauma and gave me a greater understanding of the emotional strength it takes to heal. I stayed very emotional for a couple of days after shooting that scene,” Chetna Pande ended.

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