Prachi Desai at a fashion show in Hyatt Regency on Sunday night. Picture by Pabitra Das

She wants to be remembered as Sakshi rather than Bani. She is sweet, but can also speak her mind. She wants to become a child and be a part of Taare Zameen Par. t2 caught up with Prachi Desai, who debuts this Friday with Rock On!! and was in Calcutta on Sunday for a fashion show...

Telly take:

I miss all the people of TV. Two-and-a-half years, I was with them. All that is now gone. I have to start from scratch. TV will always remain special for me. It has given me everything. At the moment I am not doing television. I would say this is a progressive step that I have taken. There are a lot of reality show offers.

Television vs films:

I was doing television. Now, I am doing films. I don’t know what I’ll do next. TV has a direct connect with the audience. They get to see you every day for half an hour. In films, you get a much shorter period of time to prove yourself. Sometimes, even if your performance is good and the script is bad or the other performances are bad, you end up getting a lot of flak. The television ratings also change every week. So you can always make up for a bad week.

Rock On!!:

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa was going on and I got a call from the Excel (production house of Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani) office. They asked me to come and meet them. I kept delaying it, until a friend persuaded me to call them. Director Abhishek (Kapoor) had actually called up the Balaji office for my number. He was looking for a particular face and hadn’t found that. His mother was also a die-hard fan of Kasamh Se. So I did the audition. He got me totally dressed the way the character was supposed to look in the film. I did the look test. In two or three days, I was on.

Initially, I was so scared. I thought why would they be interested in signing up a television actress? When I got the makeover, I really appreciated Abhishek’s vision. One look at me and he was like “I knew you would look like this.” It is not really a glamorous look, but a stylish one. I had thought that I would never look my age ever again, with me playing this 35-year-old woman with children in Kasamh Se.

Being Sakshi:

I play this sophisticated south Mumbai girl.... She is mature and can handle situations calmly. I am opposite Farhan. Sakshi plays an important role in bringing the band back together after so many years. Every character in the film complements each other.

35mm experience:

It has been amazing. Like Kasamh Se will always remain special because I started my career with it, Rock On!! will also remain extra special. The time I got to spend with the crew was amazing. I was working with an actor-turned-director (Abhishek) and a director-turned-actor (Farhan). There was immense talent flow on the sets. Each one had to learn playing one particular instrument. Farhan played guitar and also used to sing himself. Luke plays drums and Purab the keyboard. I think the only person who didn’t learn a thing was me.

On music:

By the end of the film, the only rock band name that I know of is Magik (the band in the film). I am a music lover too, but love Hindi film music. Never been into English music. There was this part in the film where I had to sing. Oh, my God! I am a bathroom singer. My inhibitions about dance vanished with Jhalak.... But singing?! I was shooting for Kasamh Se when I was asked to go to a studio. When I entered the studio, there was this song playing. I thought that they must have called me for song-reading. When the song got over, they were like, “Now sing!” I was so surprised. It finally got over in some two takes. I am not going to reveal the name of the song. For that you have watch the film.

On Farhan:

After films like Dil Chahta Hai, we all know what an intelligent director he is, looking to prove a point with his films. Initially, I was scared. But it was also a huge honour. He was a total professional on the sets and never interfered with direction. He kept cracking jokes. He is also an amazing actor. The way he carries off the two different looks is unbelievable. In one, he portrays this young rocker and in the other, a businessman. He is so good that everyone else better pull up their socks!

Wish list:

Hrithik Roshan — he is my favourite. I don’t think I can leave out Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. I would like to do another film with Farhan. As far as directors go, Farhan again. Aamir Khan, Abbas-Mustan, Dharma Productions, Rakesh Roshan and the Yash Raj banner. Up next, I am doing Life Partner opposite Tusshar (Kapoor). It’s directed by Rumy Jaffry.

Saionee Chakraborty