My father went above and beyond to organise the screening: Arshin Mehta on The Diary of West Bengal

“The whole experience was overwhelming. I still remember spending three days there after the screening with all my loved ones—my family and friends. It was such an emotional moment,” she added.

She further shared that her teachers were part of the audience during the screening and were proud of her. “At the screening, many people had tears in their eyes, including my teachers from school. My Hindi teacher from my Army School days was there, and she, along with others, was so proud,” she said.

“Everyone congratulated me and kept saying, ‘You’ve finally made it into the industry, you’re there now!’ Hearing this from people who watched me grow up felt incredibly special,” she added.

For Arshin, it's touching to hear people say that Ahmednagar's girl is on the big screen. “Even the mall owners and theater owners in my hometown congratulated me and expressed how proud they were. The support was immense, and all of this was possible because of my father. He really advertised my movie in Ahmednagar in such a big way. I even remember going to buy batata vada at a local shop, and the vendor knew about my movie! He gave me a free batata vada, saying, ‘The heroine has come to my shop.’ He was so proud and even took a picture with me,” she said.

“It was such a surreal experience to feel this love and support. I knew that everyone in Ahmednagar knew about my movie. My father is a well-known figure in our hometown, so when the movie was about to release, the local newspapers covered it extensively. My childhood friend even bought all the newspapers from the stands that featured my article. The love and warmth I received from my hometown are unparalleled, and I feel incredibly blessed to have these people in my life,” she added.