I have practically every colour of chikan suit now: Prachee Shah Paandya

Itishree.Misra@timesgroup.com

Actress

Prachee Shah Paandya

, who was in Lucknow recently along with husband

Vishwaas Paandya

, was excited to be back in the city where she had stayed for nearly a month while shooting for Anubhav Sinha's film '

Mulk

'. The 'Judwaa 2' actress, who loved Lucknow and its vibes, shares, "I was here in Lucknow to shoot for 'Mulk' for nearly 20 days. And I found Lucknow to be amazing. I had visited the city earlier, kabhi dance show ke liye, kabhi show ke promotions ke liye but I’d not really stayed in the city as such. But while shooting for the film, I stayed for a considerable time and found Lucknow to be a lovely place. There are so many things that I loved about the city. First of all is the food and then

Lakhnawi

chikan. My god, the amount of shopping that I did here! I have practically every colour of chikan suits now. Because I generally wear a lot of Indian stuff, so I bought whatever I could lay my hands on here. But even otherwise, Lucknow has always been kind of close to my heart. I have a musical connect with the city because I am a Kathak dancer. It’s a very arty connect."

She adds, "You know, Lucknow vibes are very arty. What one may call old fashioned, that's what appeals to me most about Lucknow. I too am quite like that, in the way I dress, the way I like the places that I do. So Lucknow, for some maybe old fashioned, but for me that’s the beauty of the place." Not failing to mention about Lucknow ka khana, Prachee says, "I had a lot of chaat here too – the basket chaat, tikki and batashas. Work wise also, Lucknow was great. I remember we were shooting in the outskirts of Lucknow in an old house, which gave a very vintage waali feeling. Also, we had such a great cast – Rishi Kapoor, Neena Guptaji, Ashutosh Rana, Rajat Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu – I got to learn so much from them."

Having just finished a TV show, we wonder why her fans see so less of Prachee on screen and she says, "I just did 'Ek Shringaar-Swabhimaan' on TV. It was a brilliant show. But I am very choosy about the projects that I take. And that's because I have become like that. Before that I did '

Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon

'; about a year before 'Swabhimaan...'. But I do shows in between my dance shows. Kathak keeps me busy. I recently toured eight countries and everywhere I went, I got a standing ovation. I hold the Guinness Record for maximum spins in a minute, and of course, there’s my nine year-old daughter. And not to forget, my husband. Prachee adds, "Being the wife of a director is a full time job. I've been the bouncing board for all his scenes and dialogues. But I am pretty happy with whatever I am doing. I'm those patient kinds. Woh hadbadi wala kaam mujhse nahi hota. My last film was with Varun Dhawan, 'Judwaa 2', so I'll say I’ve just been lucky doing what I love at my own pace. I've completed 20 years in television, have so many shows to my credit, and looking forward to doing so much more. I'm happy that whatever is coming my way is good."
— Itishree.Misra@timesgroup.com