‘Kohrra’ actress Aanand Priya: As a kid, I wanted to be a 'heroine' who would wear pretty dresses, sing romantic dreamy songs - Exclusive

Actress Aanand Priya, who has worked in Punjabi films like ‘Jal Wayu Enclave’, ‘Stupid 7’, ‘Ik Sandhu Hundi Si,’ recently appeared in the web show ‘Kohrra’. Her work in the same has been highly appreciated by both critics and audiences. The actress herself is elated by the way the series and her work is being received. In a recent conversation with ETimes, she opened up about how she fell in love with acting, her background in theatre, her first Punjabi break and lot more.

Scroll down for details

“I have lived in Chandigarh since the age of two. I am a single child of Punjabi parents- both of whom are government servants. So I have had an ordinary middle class upbringing and I'm as privileged as I could have been. Being in Chandigarh, I have grown up in an urbanized environment but I've always spoken in Punjabi at home and I was kept close to our cultural roots. I would also say that I wasn't brought up very traditionally in the context that, my parents raised me to be a free thinker and did not impose any sort if dogmas or ideologies on me.”

“I think old Bollywood has a certain charm that can allure anyone, and as a 5-year-old child watching the song 'You Are My Soniya' from ‘K3G’, I couldn't escape it either. As a kid, I wanted to be a 'heroine' who would wear pretty dresses, sing romantic dreamy songs and dance happily on catchy tracks. I was always that enthusiastic child who loved performing on stage at school or all sorts of family functions. This dream matured into a more sincere idea of acting as a craft when I began to do theatre in college.”

“Theatre has been the most wonderful part of my journey as an actor. I don't feel more alive any other time than performing on stage. All the basic techniques and methods of characterization that I know, were taught during my master's in Theatre. I think as actors, we need to break certain inhibitions and be free as performers. Working with different theatre groups helped me to become the artist that I am today. Besides films and web shows, I want to continue doing theatre all my life. It is quite a fulfilling experience for me.”

“Back in 2012, I saw a casting call for teenagers on Facebook for a Punjabi film called 'Stupid 7'. I was in school at that time. I contacted the director, met with him, auditioned for a supporting character, and got locked in for the part. My parents were very supportive and that's how I got my first break.”

“There's a Punjabi film that begins shooting later this year. I can't really reveal much about the story but the character I'm going to play is nothing like anything I've done so far. It even feels a bit challenging and I'm pretty excited to start working on it.”

Also Read: Vikramjeet Virk on the OTT release of 'Maurh'