After making her acting debut in 2017 with Haseena Parkar, alongside Shraddha Kapoor, Bamne gained widespread recognition through Anupamaa but felt it was time to level up after leaving the show.

"Bigg Boss 18 is a huge opportunity. When I left Anupamaa, I thought I should look for something which would up my level. I have done TV, ads, and some movies. Why not do a reality show? Then Bigg Boss came to me. So, I thought, let's do this," Bamne told PTI in a candid chat.

The actor, 25, explained that her decision to part ways with Anupamaa, led by Rupali Ganguly, came from personal reservations about portraying a mother on screen.

"It is such a big show, people love it. But I was not comfortable playing a mother. I had made up my mind that if they will show the baby of my character, I will not continue with the show. After the leap, it became obvious they will show a baby. So, I took the decision (to leave)," she said.

With Bigg Boss 18 airing on Colors TV on Sunday night, hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, Bamne expressed excitement at the chance to meet the star in person for the first time.

"I have seen him in the movies. Whenever my family and I sit together to watch a film, it's either Hum Saath Saath Hain or Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! playing on TV. The records set by these films are yet to be broken. Everyone loves him in my house. Everyone's so excited that I'll meet him," she said with enthusiasm.

As someone who has grown up in a protective environment, Bamne acknowledged that this will be her first time living independently inside the Bigg Boss house. However, she is ready for the challenge.

"I am friendly but it takes me some time to open up to people. I will try to make friends there. I hope my friendship remains even outside the house. I will try my best to show people what I am like... When I go there, I will get to know them (fellow contestants)," she added.

Despite Bigg Boss' reputation for stirring up controversy, Bamne is confident she will maintain her composure inside the house.

"Being ill-mannered is not my thing. I don't think I will misbehave with anyone. But that also doesn't mean that I won't say my point. But I will not misbehave," she assured.

(This story has been slightly reworked from an auto-generated PTI feed.)