you’re all set to make your OTT Debut with ‘Puppy Love’. Tell us something about it.
Well, in this project, the entire story and narrative revolves around my character. In fact, the only reason why I am playing my part in this is because the story is about me and my character. There is a lot of competition around me and I see it in a strong way. Competition brings out the best in me and motivates me to do even better. This inspires me to strive for excellence and supreme excellence.
Tell us something about your character in the series.
I am playing the character of a Punjabi NRI girl in this project. This is something that suits my personality to a great extent and hence, the director and producer were keen to cast me for this particular role. Actually, he was looking for this character for a long time. The makers saw me in Bigg Boss and I was their only option for this. People recognize and connect with me for who I am and the portrayal needed someone exactly like me. That’s how things worked out for me in this project.
How was it working with Tanuj Virwani?
Tanuj and I have had a great collaboration. He is a wonderful person and has a great sense of humour. A sense of humor is very important to me and he is a fun-loving person. The time we spent together on the sets was amazing and I would love to work with him again. Very few people are aware that I was going to work with him in ‘Abhay 3’ series earlier as well. However, the dates could not be fixed and hence it could not happen. But destiny brought us together again. Life seems to have come a full circle.
You have been someone who never shies away from speaking your mind. Has your candid nature influenced your work in any way?
Not necessary. I have always been like this and I would not like to change anything. People who love me have always admired me because of me. People should always accept you as you are and not as they want you to be. You cannot change your nature according to someone else’s convenience and choice. Actually, they need to change their perspective. Of course, if I personally feel I would like to change anything about myself that is not constructive, I will do so on my own terms. But why someone else?
You have a huge fan following on social media. How do you deal with trolls and negativity?
I just don’t deal with it because I’m so stubborn that such minor things don’t bother me at all. I have prepared my mind in such a way that all these things do not bother me in any way. Ignorance is also an extra effort which I don’t want to waste for something so small. This is irrelevant to me.
Can you share some of your craziest fan experiences?
Well, early examples are always special. I remember the first time I went to Dubai after my popularity after the success of Bigg Boss. People were going crazy seeing me and started shouting in joy and merriment. In fact, the funny thing was that it was during the time of Kovid-19 and I was wearing a mask. However, my hiding my identity didn’t stop people from recognizing me, and that in itself was very special. People recognized me wherever I went, from malls to other places. I got signed for autographs and selfies and it felt really cool. He has noticed things about me and my personality from Bigg Boss and it means a lot to me. I am extremely grateful for everyone’s love and appreciation.
If you had to debut in Bollywood films, with whom would you like to work?
Well, I am the kind of person who wants to work with everybody. There are so many wonderful and exceptionally talented people out there. have always been my personal favorite if I had to name Ranveer Singh And Ranbir Kapoor, Almost everyone is good looking and talented and there is a lot to learn from everyone. You never know what you can learn from someone and how it will help you in your professional life. So why limit yourself to just a few options when there are so many good ones out there? There are so many great directors. My personal favorites have always been Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rajkumar Hirani. They are definitely on my ‘hit list’. I have mentioned the word ‘hit’ here because I will work with him to deliver ‘hits’ in future.
Have you been fond of movies since childhood?
Yes, I’ve always been one. I literally grew up watching all kinds of Bollywood movies. I have always been a shy kid who didn’t know how to present myself in front of the camera. I was shy and shied away from any kind of public speaking activity. All these are important qualities of acting. However, today life is such that all the things from which I was hiding earlier are an essential part of my life as an artist. The real reason for satisfaction for me is that I was able to successfully convert my weakness into my strength. Today, I am deeply in love with what I am doing and it motivates me to keep going. I want to transcend routine boundaries to give my best as a versatile artiste.
What will happen next?
Well, a lot of things are in the pipeline. Of course, I can’t reveal or talk much about it because I shouldn’t before the right time frame. I will keep everyone informed as and when there are announcements. stay tuned.