Prakruti Mishra. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 17: She is still remembered as the bubbly Smruti of popular Odia television serial Tulasi. Prakruti Mishra is now ready to shed her child actor tag and sizzle on the big screen with Prashanta Nanda’s next film Thookool.

The first-year student of Rama Devi College is very excited about the film, in which she shares screen space with top actors Babushan and Archita.

“Though I have faced the camera numerous times before, I became very nervous on the first day of my shoot. It was also my first shoot with Babushan and that made me even more nervous. I have tried my best to get into the skin of the character,” said the young actor.

The actor, who has done a number of films, television soaps, music albums and documentaries as a child artiste, is set to begin her second innings in the world of cinema. But Prakruti misses her childhood days when she received lovely gifts as remuneration.

At five years of age, Prakruti was roped in to play a part in popular bhajan singer Namita Agarwal’s video. Since then, there has been no looking back for her. She soon caught the eye of director Sisir Mishra, who cast her as the young Anu Choudhury in his film Sabata Maa.

Prakruti bagged the 2005 Orissa State Film Award for best child artiste for the film Sasu Ghara Chalijibi. “The most memorable experience for me was playing a unique part in Hari Bhai Hare Na. I portrayed the role of a spirit while in reality, I was very scared of ghosts,” she said.

Daughter of music director Manmath Mishra, Prakruti knows her basic musical notations well. Though untrained, Prakruti claims to be a good singer though her inclination is more towards sports.

Open to all kinds of roles, her ultimate dream is to play the part of Chandramukhi in Devdas. Having learnt the basics of dancing from noted Odissi dancer Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, the actor believes she can match the steps of Madhuri Dixit, who played that role. Prakruti has worked in some of the most popular serials of Odia television, such as Tulasi and Mausi and films such as Pagala Karichi Paunji Tora and Saat Sure Bandha Ei Jibana apart from documentaries, advertisements and music albums.

“Working in films is a different ball game altogether. Of the entire medium that I have worked, films are what I have enjoyed the most. Watching oneself on the big screen is an ecstatic feeling,” she added.