Life is good

Mona

Prachi Desai’s journey in the entertainment world is anything but conventional. At 17, she debuted with Kasamh Se on television with a fair share of tears and her Bollywood beginning in Rock On!! had her play a wife. As she steps on the OTT bandwagon with Dhootha, the Bani of yore talks of how important it is for her not to take a stereotypical route!

“It’s true; my journey has been anything but conventional. At 17, when a girl wishes to be in a rom-com, I was playing a wife; and trust me if I could choose today I would love to be in a romantic film,” she says. Her recent film Forensic has brought the spot light on her portrayal of Dr Ranjana, a psychiatrist. “It was really an amazing experience though it was a dark and uncomfortable space. As an actor it was very challenging and equally fulfilling. A very novel experience indeed!”

Interestingly, psychological thrillers and horror remain her favourite genres. Growing up, she and her sister would watch everything available to spook them. “We were so crazy that once we watched all the titles in Hindi or English, we would pick other languages like Spanish and watch it without subtitles,” she laughs.

She used to stay awake through the night after watching scary films. But now she has found a trick that works. “I love thrillers, so I watch them in afternoon, and then go about the day. That surely lessens the impact to some extent and then whatever happens at night, happens,” says the actor who loved Orphan, Deep Water and Kahaani.

Does she miss her TV days? “As an actor I like to play different roles rather than one role for a long time. Having said that I do miss the fan following that TV brings, I do miss the unwavering love of fans that I enjoyed with telly shows.” Prachi has been rather selective about her work. “I like novelty. My attempt is to pick up something different each time. OTT is a blessing as it gives us a chance to take more risks, to choose from a wide variety,” says the actor, who played a cop in Silence…Can You Hear It? and a cop’s nightmare in Forensic. “While I have always attempted to approach varied characters from the beginning, before OTT the options were limited. I had to be more selective. Now with OTT, I can go on a wide hunt for anything. It works very well for me as I have never imagined myself in a conventional box.”

Her works talk of her range. While Kosha has her explore the fantasy genre, she calls it a very invigorating experience. “The entire team, right from the writer to director are in their 20s and are from anime/animation field. Our film is not anime, it has certain anime effect.”

Welcoming the monsoon, Prachi says, “While I have all the empathy for those who have to go to work in the rains, I find magic in the monsoon.”

To be seen in Telugu web series Dhootha, a supernatural horror show, Prachi enjoyed learning a new language. “It was my first ever project in Telugu. It was daunting task. But in the hands of a very good director Vikram K Kumar and extremely encouraging great co-stars Naga Chaitanya and others, it was a humbling experience.”