Chetna Pande, the lead in a forthcoming movie I Don’t luv U, used to play badminton and trek with her dad during weekends. She tells D Kaushik that she is currently focussed on her first film
Some would complain that the flip side of being an actor, is that you don’t get the weekends to relax.
I feel differently. I find working on weekends fun too. You are on the sets with friends and doing what you like. So I don’t crib. Other times I get away from work. I shop. If it is for more than one day I meet my family. Since I shifted to Mumbai, I barely get time with them. last we saw each other, was a year ago in Kerala, during a family wedding. When they are around, you get pampered and laze, doing nothing in particular. I miss those childhood days when weekends were awaited anxiously.
I was an adventure freak who loves outdoor activities and sports. Near Nainital is a point called China Peak. You have to trek a long way to get there. As kids, we completed it within no time and had a ball. Such little outings made our weekends special, along with the home cooked food.
I have always loved cooking. I didn’t do it frequently at the time. But cooking on weekends was always special. Ever since, I have been in Mumbai I get more chances to try my hand at cooking.
For the last few months I have been totally occupied shooting I Don’t luv U, my first Bollywood film.
I did a Tamil movie, Neeyum Naanum, before that. Bollywood was my ultimate destination.
I looked forward to a role that would give me the chance to prove my acting skills .
When the offer for I Don’t luv U was made, I was apprehensive initially. But I liked the script abut modern youngsters. I play someone close to my real self.
It took nearly two years, after I had done a Tamil film, to accept this offer. I didn’t want to choose any random film as my initial project.
Acting happened by chance. In school I played badminton and was Uttarakhand’s State champion.
I went to Pune to do my MBA, and learnt that Ekta Kapoor was holding auditions for Kitni Mohabbat Hai. I casually went there, thinking I would not be selected. But then I was called to Mumbai.
After that I learnt I couldn’t be in Kitni Mohabbat Hai. But by then I decided I would not go back and try my luck only in acting, till I received the Tamil film.
After doing one, the offers came. But I grew cautious. I wanted to choose a film with a certain branding that would ensure better offers in future. So I have been working hard on this debut.
I don’t mind sacrificing weekends. Perhaps in a few years I will enjoy them better with my family.”