Purab Kohli started his career as an actor on the television show ‘Hip Hip Hurray’ and later earned recognition through video jockeying.

He made his Bollywood debut with ‘Bus Yuhin’ in 2003 and became successful through ‘Rock On’.

He was one was the contestants on ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ (season 7) in 2014. Purab has a supporting role in ‘Sense 8’, a series on Netflix and the second season is due out in May. 

He recently wrapped up the shooting for Nikhil Advani — ‘P.O.W.(Prisoners of Wars)’ on Star Plus. His latest project is the Bollywood film ‘Noor’ with Sonakshi Sinha and Kannan Gill which is set to release this weekend.

Music
‘U2’
“This band is something that I have grown up listening to and can listen to it even now. It may sound weird but I find solace in their music and it is timeless. But then it’s hard to pick a favourite as I am influenced by various things around me. I recently went to Africa and I have been listening to music from the region. I don’t understand the language but I feel like it has great meaning. When it comes to Indian artistes, I enjoy listening to Gundecha Brothers and Kailash Kher.”

Author
Haruki Murakami

“Though I love to read, I don’t get time for it very often. I’m usually so tired by the end of the day that I fall asleep after a couple of sentences. But I love Murakami’s books, especially ‘Norwegian Wood’. It gave me a very nice and melancholic feeling. I also like reading Ramachandra Guha’s books and Michael Crichton’s works.”

Travel
London

“My wife is English so we visit London very often. There’s always something new to explore and that’s why I love it so much. As a city, it is well evolved in terms of culture, transport system and everything else a city should be. It’s very efficient. But when I am not abroad, Goa is like my second home. It’s a beautiful place with lovely beaches and I can’t seem to get over it no matter how many times I visit.”

Filmmaker
David O Russell

“David’s movies, ‘The Fighter’, ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, ‘Joy’ and ‘American Hustle’ are my favourites. He has a way of telling a story in a single shot. It’s very powerful and impacts the audience immediately. He has a way of weaving a story within a story without creating any confusion. Apart from him, I also like the works of Christopher Nolan. In Bollywood, I enjoyed working with Sunhil Sippy and like the works of Imtiaz Ali,
Rajkumar Hirani and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.”

Food
‘Idli and sambhar’

“I am a big fan of home cooked food and I look
forward to trying out new things each time. I also
enjoy South Indian cuisine, especially ‘idli and sambhar’. I love ‘dosa’, ‘rice’ and
anything else from the South.

 As I have roots in Mangaluru, I also relish seafood.
 I like cooking, so whenever I get time, I make some delicious Italian pasta.”

Inspiration
Life stories

“It’s hard to pinpoint one person and say they are my inspiration because a person’s story is what inspires me. For example, the story of the sisters in ‘Dangal’ is very inspiring as they had to fight it out in this tough world. I am currently reading ‘Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear’ by Elizabeth Gilbert and I find that inspiring. People like P V Sindhu and her achievements inspire me. Their stories are what keep me going and make me want to work harder.”