'I was told I act well, but none gave work'

Born and brought up in the small town of Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, Parul Chauhan had never thought about what destiny had planned for her.

Once in Rajasthan to attend a cousin’s wedding, her dancing skills and pretty features gathered attention, “Your daughter is good-looking, so why don't you let her try in acting,” she remembers one of the guests asking her mother which promoted the thought in her family and she became the face of television through Bidaai.

Metrolife talks to Ragini aka Parul as she embarks upon a new journey with her debut film Myoho to be released on mid-December.

Parul has been always open to accepting new challenges right from her struggling days. "When I appeared for my first audition in 2005, I thought it was all about saying dialogues in front of the camera but when I saw 400-500 people present for the same audition, and how different they appeared before and after make up, I became nervous.

However, the ones taking the audition encouraged me and I didn’t stop at saying my name and contact number but went ahead and almost narrated my whole profile. When I ended, those present started clapping and I regained confidence.”

Irrespective of how good her attempts at these auditions were, the results never favoured the budding actress.

“A lot of people used to say that I act well but none gave me work. But I guess all that struggle turned fruitful when I bagged Bidaai that became a landmark in my career,” says the actress who has tried her hands at reality shows of stand up comedy and even her forte, dance. “Once at a wedding, my naani suddenly said “now my naatin will dance” and when I refused she insisted saying, “I want to show them how well you dance”, Parul chuckles as she cherishes these moments and says, “I used to watch Madhuri Dixit as a kid and dance. Dance is inherent and that is why I accepted Jhalak Dikhla Ja, though it was a tough schedule and I used to work double shifts.”

But will this craze of television get over since now films have landed her way? “Not at all. Mai bahut jaldi TV mein entry karungi! I took up the offer of a film because I want to learn but I have decided to continue with television even if I have to do it between film shoots,” she explains.

What  does the unsual title, Myoho mean? “It means ‘what goes around comes around.’ When something goes wrong despite our efforts, we start thinking ‘if we did anything wrong in our past life.’ This is what the film explores.

The audience should be able to relate to this phenomenon. It is a story that has two settings, one in 1934 and other in 2008. I have a double role in this film,” she reveals.