quot;God hypnotised mequot;

She dabbled in Bollywood with roles in movies like Barsaat Ki Raat, Danvir and Bambai Ka Babu. But some of the role-givers demanded more fro...

She dabbled in Bollywood with roles in movies like Barsaat Ki Raat, Danvir and Bambai Ka Babu. But some of the role-givers demanded more from Vaishnavi than she was willing to give: they wanted her on the casting couch.

Vaishnavi escaped to the safer haven of Tellywood. quot;In movies I was always tense, but here I am relaxed. The people are decent and I am taken for my worth,quot; she says. Vaishnavi 21 has appeared in a couple of episodes of Saturday Suspense on Zee, and currently co-anchors the show Awaz Ki Duniya DD1 with Rohan Kapoor. Anchoring is a challenge as she believes there are few anchors who are good actors, and vice versa. quot;In acting you live out a character, but in anchoring you have to be yourself and yet attract the audience,quot; she explains.

Today Vaishnavi is best-known for the role of a firebrand journalist, Geeta Vishwas, in Shaktimaan DD1. And she denies that Mukesh Khanna is the bee all and end all of the serial or that she is merely a pretty prop.quot;You can8217;t expect to be in the forefront all the time. After Shaktimaan, I am the next most important character,quot; she says, comparing the situation to Archie Comics which revolve around Archie, Betty and Veronica 8212; while the rest follow far behind. And Vaishnavi is unfazed by the fact that she 8212; a relative non-entity on television 8212; has replaced the famous Kitu Gidwani in Shaktimaan. quot;I don8217;t think I would get a complex even if I were stepping into Madhuri Dixit8217;s shoes!quot; she exclaims.

Though the super-powered Shaktimaan breaks all laws of Physics and Logic, Vaishnavi is yet to lose her fascination for science. Her childhood fantasies revolved around test tubes, research labs, cancer cures, Nobel prize. quot;At that moment I did not realise that there are a lot of studies involved! As you grow up reality takes over,quot; she says abashed.

Vaishnavi also loves reading adventure books and wants to lose herself in nature. When the books are not on nature, they8217;re autobiographies quot;on the religioussidequot; 8212; those that deal with spiritual experiences. She is deeply spiritual and the turning point in her life came six years ago 4when she visited Mahim Church in Mumbai. quot;There, something happened that was very physical and at the same time deeply spiritual. God hypnotised me.quot;

Vaishnavi believes that the Holy Spirit visited and took her to a different place altogether. quot;It was like heaven 8212; fire and electricity passed through my body and I was flowing with the wind,quot; she adds. That incident changed her forever and Vaishnavi started experiencing inner peace and joy. Gradually from being a ritualistic Hindu she became a devout Christian.But when it comes to acting, Vaishnavi is harsh and demanding on herself. quot;I strive to be a perfectionist and criticise myself down to the gutters,quot; she says, adding that she gets a major complex if her performance does not live up to her expectations.

Her ideal role would be akin to those played out by heroines of yore like Mala Sinha and Meena Kumari. She also wantsto try her hand at poker-faced comedy. Vaishnavi claims she is an quot;unintentional comedian.quot; When she cracks jokes, no one laughs. quot;But when I say something serious, people think I am joking and laugh their guts out!quot;

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The other confusion in the life of this petite girl has been on the romantic front. Other than a crush on a neighbour at the age of 14, she has never been in love. Vaishnavi insists that she is a romantic person, but romance for her means comfortable silences, candlelight dinners, star-gazing atop a mountain, surrounded by dreamy clouds, swaying trees8230; quot;But life is not what you imagine. Everything has to work out and the pieces have to fall into place,quot; she says.

While she awaits Mr Romantic Right, Vaishnavi is involved in Church activities related to slum development and literacy. In five years from now, she plans to retire from acting. quot;Though I love acting, I want to take the spiritual road to where there is lasting happiness.quot;