She isn?t your conventional Hindi film heroine, but with films like Bollywood Calling, Mumbai Matinee, Joggers? Park and the much- acclaimed Morning Raga to her credit, actress Perizaad Zorabian is more than holding her own. And though she?s only been associated with low-budget, experimental films till now, Perizaad is quite upbeat about the future, what with a slew of new directors in Bollywood opting to do films with more off-beat and interesting themes.

Perizaad?s foray into acting came via modelling, where she became a familiar face after doing campaigns like Fair and Lovely, Close Up, Samsung and Asmi. She attracted attention after her debut film Bollywood Calling but it was Joggers? Parkwith veteran Victor Banerjee that catapulted her to instant stardom. An MBA from Baruch College, New York, she is also a trained ballet dancer and has done theatre too with a short stint at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Perizaad has one first to her credit that few other actors can match ? she was involved in her father?s poultry business before getting bitten by the acting bug.

Perizaad?s mom, Feroza, is not only her inspiration but also a friend, philosopher and guide. There exists an unspoken bond between the two, so much so that each knows what the other is thinking at any given point of time.

PERIZAAD ON FEROZA

Fortunately for me, my mom isn?t like other star-mothers who insist on handling shooting schedules, clothes and virtually every little thing for their daughters. What?s more, I don't like my mom to accompany me wherever I go because I?m quite capable of handling things myself.

As children, both my brother and I gave my mom plenty of trouble and she had a trying time handling two naughty kids. I was particularly difficult because I was a tomboy who thought I was the best. My mother has always seen me taking part in school plays and fashion shows and recognised my potential. So, even though my taking up acting came as a bit of a shock to my family, later they were very supportive. Since then, they have seen me pass through plenty of highs and lows and now they know that I?m used to this so-called ?insecure? profession.

Honestly speaking, like a lot of other mothers, my mom, too, is over-protective about me. There are times when she becomes anxious about my food, travel and shoots and she also feels that it?s high time that I got married and had a family of my own. Though we hardly get time to catch up with each other, I must say that she has adjusted well to my work and its demands. On my part, I try to keep her happy by surprising her with little gifts and even today, I can spot the gleam in her eyes whenever one of my films is being aired.

FEROZA ON PERIZAAD

Perizaad and I are more like best friends than mother and daughter ? we?ve always been that way. Though she was always a very bright child, because of her naughtiness, we?d often get complaints from the teachers in her school about her playing pranks on her classmates. From a young age, she was actively involved in extra- curricular activities like stage shows, fashion shows and dance dramas. We never really thought that acting would be her calling and we were a bit apprehensive about the profession. But knowing Perizaad?s fiercely-independent nature, we didn?t try and stop her from taking it up. In any case, right from childhood, it?s been very hard to convince her to do anything because she always listens to her heart and is guided by her instincts. On our parts, my husband and I have acted as guides and explained the pros and cons of this profession to her, though coming from a conservative Parsi family, the whole business was a bit unnerving. In fact, I still want her to settle down in a more stable and secure profession. That is not to say that I am not proud of her achievements. Even today, I can hardly believe that my little girl is such a well-known face.

Today, Perizaad is very busy with different projects, but even then she makes it a point to spend time with her family. One thing I hate in her is that she is not a well-organised person and always keeps her room messy and untidy. As a child, she had a bad habit of throwing chocolate wrappers around the room and even out of the window. I used to get very angry at her behaviour and every time she did that, I made her clean up the entire room.

When Perizaad is not around nowadays, we miss her terribly but then we understand that it?s a part of her job. I am not a typical star-mother and I don?t accompany her to sets or even to public functions. I don?t believe in unnecessary interference, besides which, whenever we go out, loads of people come up to her for autographs, which sometimes becomes very irritating. I have always taught my children to be independent and I am proud that today, they are not only good human beings but also responsible citizens. In fact, you can see just how sincere Perizaad is about her work and I believe it is this honesty that appeals to the audience.