'I am a romantic at heart'

Going slow

Actor Parul Yadav has proved that she is capable of handling just about any character. Having just essayed a strong and powerful role in ‘Killing Veerappan’, Parul will next be seen in a romantic role in ‘Jessie’, scheduled to release on March 24. 

While she’s thrilled that she has been able to play a variety of characters in a short span and achieve success, she now feels that she needs to go a little slow. In a chat with Nina C George, the actor talks about why she made Kannada film industry her home and what keeps her going.

One hardly ever gets to see you in a romantic role... Why did you agree to ‘Jessie’?I have always wanted to play a romantic character but I didn’t get offers like the one I got in ‘Jessie’. It’s a triangular love story where I am caught in between 2 good-looking men. There’s a continuous conflict of emotions and interests. It’s a complicated love story.     

Why do you call it complicated? 
There are a lot of heartbreaks and those involved have to deal with very complicated emotions. I am sure everyb­o­dy has had a heartbreak so­metime in their life. The feelings expressed in the mo­vie are very real and relatab­le. 

After working in ‘Killing Veerappan’, ‘Vaastu Prakaara’ and ‘Uppi 2’, has ‘Jessie’ come as a relief?
Yes, somewhat. My earlier roles were enjoyable but hard to portray and required a lot of effort. My character in ‘Jessie’ is a lot like me. I am a romantic at heart.   

What was it like working with Dhananjaya and Raghu?
The 2 are very different people. Dhananjaya has everything it takes to become a superstar. He is really serious about his work. Raghu is very handsome and you can’t really compare him with a regular hero. He has tremendous potential. Our good off-screen rapport reflects on screen.   

You have had a lot of releases this year... Any plans of slowing down?
I have had a lot of releases this year and this has indirectly raised expectations among the audience. While I am happy that my talent has been recognised, I am careful in not choosing projects that will upset my fans.     

Are you nervous about your sudden growth as an actor?Yes, I am a little nervous and this is precisely why I have decided to go slow and choose projects carefully. I don’t want to move too fast and regret it later. 

Is it easy to decline projects? 
Heroines have a short life span as compared to heroes and good work doesn’t come everyday. I had a lot of offers from the Telugu film industry after ‘Killing Veerappan’ but I declined them because they weren’t as good as I expected them to be. I want to do good work.