Face off

There'll be several opportunities to do those masala movies later. Right now, she's excited about her small-time thriller, Tejaswini Kohla...

There8217;ll be several opportunities to do those masala movies later. Right now, she8217;s excited about her small-time thriller, Tejaswini Kohlapure tells Rajeev Masand

Blow the trumpets, roll out the carpets. Let8217;s extend a warm welcome to pretty Tejaswini Kohlapure, who8217;s getting set to storm the big-screen soon.

Younger sister of acting veteran Padmini Kohlapure, Tejaswini or Teju as she8217;s affectionately called by her friends is a familiar face on the ramp, and also on the small screen. quot;At one point I8217;d become very bored of modelling, and that8217;s when I applied for a job at Jet Airways,quot; the young lady explains. Having completed her two-month training program with the airlines, she jumped right back into modelling with the hidden agenda of jumping the acting bandwagon shortly. A chat with brother-in-law film-producer Tutu Sharma during which she revealed her acting desires led to her landing a role in a serial called Mujhe Chaand Chahiye for which Sharma8217;s buddy, director Satish Kaushik recommended her name. quot;Television was exciting. There8217;s more scope to do challenging work, also the roles for women are wonderful. But it does get boring,quot; she says of her stint with the boob-tube during which she shot 68 episodes of Mujhe Chaand Chahiye and several pilots, some of which weren8217;t cleared, the remaining she optedout of.

Experimental theatre was next on the cards8230;

It was during a platform performance at Prithvi that Satya script-writer Anurag Kashyap noticed Tejaswini8217;s acting potential and decided to cast her in the film he was getting ready to direct. As luck would have it, Tutu Sharma agreed to produce Kashyap8217;s low-budget movie, and Tejaswini agreed to star in it once she8217;d read the script. quot;It8217;s not your typical breezy romance,quot; Teju says of Kashyap8217;s film. quot;It8217;s something that you8217;d be proud to be associated with, because it8217;s an actor8217;s film,quot; she adds. Paanch is a film about five wannabe rock-stars who get sucked into a pool of crime when their money-raising endeavour goes badly wrong. quot;I8217;m one of the five bandmates,quot; Tejaswini reveals proudly.

Although nervous initially, a few days later she felt at home on the set.

quot;I know I had been planning to do this, but once I was actually getting into it, I was completely overcome by a feeling of anxiety and cowardice,quot; she says, giggling at those memories. Luckily for her, once rehearsals for the film began, she started to lose her inhibitions. quot;Within a week, I had fit in perfectly,quot; she says, and attributes that largely to the fact that Kashyap8217;s team is one of mostly enthusiastic youngsters.

Making the film was a gruelling experience8230;

quot;There were days we shot for 18 hours at a stretch, we8217;d often have to miss meals during all the hurried shooting,quot; Teju recollects, describing the experience as quot;intensequot; but one she doesn8217;t regret at all. She remembers the time she had cuts all over her body because of an ill-fitting costume, even swollen toes because of too-tight shoes8230; quot;It was nightmarish, but I8217;m glad I went through the grind. It will perhaps prepare me for other difficulties that are yet to come.quot;

Of course, she8217;s looking forward to doing those masala movies too!

Now that Paanch is ready and awaiting release, Teju has signed two new films: one opposite Sanjay Dutt and directed by Sudhir Mishra, another with Govinda, both to be produced by Sharma. quot;I8217;m excited about all the dancing I8217;m going to have to do in these films,quot; she says. quot;We didn8217;t have to do any of that in Paanch,quot; she adds. Although her debut film won8217;t be a lavish, glossy potboiler, she8217;s hoping it will earn her accolades for her realistic acting. quot;There8217;s enough time to do the usual kind of movies,quot; she says.

Comparisons with her older sister haven8217;t ceased8230;

quot;She8217;s set a very high standard, and I know the pressure is mounting,quot; Teju says of Padmini. quot;But I8217;m not going to worry myself over the comparisons. I8217;ll just go with the flow.quot; When badi bahen Padmini attended a trial of Paanch, she lauded her little sibling for a fine performance. Even Pooja Bhatt, who has seen the film already, congratulated the debutant actress. quot;My parents, meanwhile, don8217;t know what to expect. I think they8217;re going to be very surprised pleasantly surprised, I hope.quot;