How can one Priyanka talk to another Priyanka and not lament how common the name is. “Outside India, I have people telling me: ‘Oh, what a beautiful name!’ And I tell them: ‘Come to my country... you will find that Priyanka is as common as David is in yours,” laughs Priyanka Bose when we connected over a video call during the weekend.

As an actor, Priyanka has not had any such problems, having carved a niche for herself from the initial stages of her career. After starring in international projects like Gangor (which was her first lead role), Lion, Sold, The Good Karma Hospital and so on, Priyanka, 38, has been a permanent member of the cast of the fantasy TV series The Wheel of Time since its first season.

With Season 3 of the Prime Video series, frontlined by Rosamund Pike, set to premiere on March 13, t2 chatted with Priyanka on being Alanna Mosvani and more.

We are just days away from the premiere of Season 3 of The Wheel of Time. Are you equally excited and nervous about the release of every season?

It is the same every time. That is because with every season, one gets a little closer to the cast and the crew and we have eventually ended up feeling like a family. There is a sort of interdependence and you have to be good screen partners. There is a lot of camaraderie, honestly, but there is also healthy competitiveness. iPhone has this cool memories feature and just day before yesterday, a picture popped up of me on the set of The Wheel of Time on the first day. It was so nostalgic! It is tough to believe that it has been five years since we started the show. In a way, the people working on The Wheel of Time have become my core group. It has shaped me in a way to the extent that I have started expecting the same kind of experience in my other work too.

You have described the series as ‘a gift that keeps giving’....

My life has exponentially changed since I started acting in this series. Before this show, I wasn’t doing well financially. With this series, made on such a large scale, I was able to tell myself: ‘Now I can finally save some money!’

Working in this project has also helped me to learn and observe other people’s professionalism and ethics and keep that as a standard for myself. That is because I feel that sometimes when we come back over here (India), we get really complacent.

As far as The Wheel of Time is concerned, it is an incredible opportunity. Anyone would give an arm and a leg to be part of it. Every season, I go in knowing that I have to do a very good job. At the end of the day, I want to make myself proud.

How would you say that the character has evolved through the seasons and in what ways has playing Alanna made you a better actor?

In Season 3, Alanna has a lot of responsibility. She has a character arc that involves a sense of loyalty and responsibility, and you do get to see that in her.

The fans (of the show and of its source material — the book series of the same name by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson) are so well educated that they constantly give me so much of her. When that happens, I am always excited and I get a lot of ideas instinctually. Also, Rafe (Judkins, the creator and showrunner of the series) and the team of writers are so good with giving everyone a piece of what they can shape themselves for their respective characters. It is very beautiful to watch other people do that, along with you doing that for yourself. In this season, you will see Alanna as a fuller character and I feel the audiences will want more of her.

Alanna is known for her quick temper and sharp humour. Do you share any traits with her, even if it is on a subliminal level?

Women, in general, always have to portray so much of what society likes us to, a sort of baggage of being proper and polite all the time... the idea of femininity was also designed by a man. In fact, even women judge other women so harshly. Playing this character gives me an opportunity to be this absolutely liberated woman and I really love that.

I cannot even begin to explain to you how liberating the expression of rage is. Acting gives me so much joy because it involves the exploration of so much character-building, emotions and nuances.

In a market saturated with content, of which fantasy is also a large part, what do you feel has sustained the popularity of The Wheel of Time over so many seasons?

Look at the incredible network of talent the show has pulled in from everywhere. It is not an easy job and hence, if the show gets cancelled tomorrow, it will be heartbreaking because it has been an expensive project to pull off. But Amazon (Prime Video) has done a great job and so have Sony (Pictures Television) and Rafe.

The talent across the board is supreme. The show has long legs but it is also tiring shooting it. I was hoping we could start shooting for Season 4 immediately, but the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) strikes (in 2023) has had a ripple effect. We are really hoping that Season 3 does well enough to make us feel that we have come back for a great thing in the fourth season. It is a beautifully written show with a great cast and is amazing to watch.

As a viewer, how much of a fantasy fan are you?

Fantasy, as a genre, is almost limitless. You can actually go to town with it! It brings alive all our childhood fantasies — like riding a dragon, flying off a roof, killing demons. How could anyone not love fantasy?! I find it incredible... real life is boring to me! (Laughs) I have always been quite a fantasy girl. But then I also realise that not everyone is a fan of fantasy, and I am okay with that too.

Did any books or films further spur your interest in the genre?

Life of Pi, The Lord of the Rings films.... I am a big fan of filmmakers taking a much-loved book and giving their own spin to it. It just takes the story and the characters somewhere else and I love exploring new dimensions within a familiar story. It is magical, just seeing it travel from paper to screen, with a fresh take.

Any plans of working in India soon?

I really want to! I just watched Paatal Lok (2) and I was like: ‘Man, I should have been in it!’ There is some really good work happening in India and I am reaching out to casting directors. Many people think I don’t live in India, which is not true at all.

I am really looking forward to working in India. Whatever has happened in the last two years for Indian independent cinema on the world stage has been incredible. I know we lack structural support, but I do want to be a part of it and collaborate with a lot of the talent in India.

Have you watched anything recently in Bangla that has made an impression on you?

I have not had the time to watch Bangla films. It has been a while. Things changed for me after Rituparno Ghosh passed away. But now I will definitely check out what is happening out there.