Sky is the limit

Before making my debut in Zid, I was modelling and have done quite a few commercials for Parle Marie, Suzuki with Salman Khan, besides three with my cousin Priyanka (Chopra) for Dabur.

Casting coup

While modelling in Mumbai, I was offered a role in a South film. After completing it, I was just lazing around at home, contemplating about what I should do next. I had told my mom that I was not really very excited about doing TV ads. After much thought, I decided that I should concentrate on making a career in Bollywood. I had auditioned for four-five films without any luck. The makers of Zid were at that time on the lookout for a fresh face, but were unable to find anyone. I auditioned for them and was shortlisted from among 900 girls, which was a big achievement for me. There were five stages in the audition process, and I was among the first to be signed for the film.

Stepping stone

I was born in Ambala and grew up in Delhi. After completing my schooling from Summer Fields School, I did a fashion designing course along with a Bachelors in Business Administration. During my first job as a product designer I enrolled in a dance institute. During the weekdays, I took lessons from 10 pm to 2 am and in the weekends, we would do dance shows. After one of the shows, my choreographer gave me an opputunity to take charge of the Mumbai centre. Though not very sure, I shifted to Mumbai to teach dance and went on to do modelling and commercials.

First Shot

My first short was very simple. I just had to face the camera and smile. Since I am a cheerful person, and can laugh all day, I felt that the shot was an easy one. But once I faced the camera and started laughing, I realised how tough acting really was. Generally, when we laugh we move our entire body and that was what I was doing, but the director came up to me and told since the frame was still, I could not move my head. But when I followed his instructions, he then told me not to blink my eyes as well!

The takeaway

I had an amazing time while shooting, and have learnt a lot on the sets. I have evolved as a person and as an actor. I have learnt to remain calm and composed while shooting, whether it is in a jungle or in rain or dangling from a fort that was 100 foot high. These experiences have made me stronger and instilled confidence that I can take care of myself. It was an enriching experience as I also learnt a lot of technical aspects of film-making.

Stumbling block

Yes, there were a few hurdles. I had difficulty doing a fight sequence while dangling from a height of100 foot on the harnesses. The shot went on for three days, and I had never thought that I was daring enough to do it, but I proved myself wrong. Also, while we were shooting in the jungle, there were mosquitoes, insects and snakes and we had to even ward off the mosquitoes and maintain our composure at the same time.

Role model

My cousin Priyanka Chopra is my role model. She inspired me to get into Bollywood. She has an amazing screen presence and is such a humble person, that we automatically get inspired by her.

Future projects
I have a few projects lined up, but my agency will talk about it.

karan.shah@expressindia.com