Mumbai, June 1 (IANS): Television actress Ankita Lokhande became an overnight star when she paired with late Sushant Singh Rajput on the soap "Pavitra Rishta", which released 12 years ago on this day. Marking the occasion, the actress shared an Instagram post with fans on Tuesday, saying that the show made her who she is today.

Ankita's post is a collage of scenes of the show featuring Sushant and her, as well as other co-stars including Hiten Tejwani, who later replaced Sushant in the show as the male lead. Tagging the cast and crew of the show, Ankita's post makes special mention of Sushant, said to be her ex-boyfriend, with the hashtag #sushantsinghrajput.

"12 Years!! Ohh, Yes Yes It's 12 Years Of Pavitra Rishta, Time Flies Really Quickly. With more than 66 Awards #Pavitrarishta remains to be one of the most loved show on Indian Television. Here's to 12 glorious years of this iconic show. Which not only gave me Archana but love all across the globe and made me who I'm today," Ankita wrote.

"The story that celebrates joy of life, love, family and friendship. Thank you @balajitelefilmslimited @ektarkapoor for making me Archana and thank you to all the cast and crew. Thank you Maa and Paa for always supporting me. #pavitrarishta #12years #balajitelefilms #archana #ektakapoor #love #memories," she added.

The show's producer Ekta Kapoor also took to Instagram to remember "Pavitra Rishta". She wrote: "Pain love n angst makes this show the purest bond ever! #pavitrarishta u resurrected my career gave me life long bonds! Thankuuuuuu."

Commenting on Ekta and Ankita's posts, fans of Sushant Singh Rajput shared how much they were missing the late actor who passed away on June 14 last year.