Manasi yearns for good work

Having acted in many TV shows and ads, actor Manasi Parekh has now made her debut in Bollywood with the latest film ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’. The actor played the sister of Vicky Kaushal and an army officer’s wife in the movie. She was lauded for her performance. Manasi talks more about the film and her career in a conversation with Malini Raghu.

How was your experience being part of the action film?
It has been fabulous. I am so glad that I am part of such a beautiful and powerful film; people are raving about it. I also received a lot of appreciation for my role; it is the stepping stone into the industry. It was also great to work with Vicky and Yami. It was a relaxed atmosphere on the sets, and everybody was focused on their work.

What are your thoughts about ‘Uri’ being called a propaganda film?
The film is true to what happened during the surgical strike. Labelling it as a propaganda film disrespects the effort that has gone into it; it is just belittling a film.

A video of Vicky Kaushal and Yami Gautam addressing the audience is streamed when people try to watch the pirated version of the film online. How did the team go about this technique of tackling piracy?
I haven’t watched the video myself. But I think it is good that they adopted that method.

How did you prepare for the role?
Everyone had to take up workshops. I also spoke to a couple of army officers’ wives about how difficult it is when their husbands are at war and the trauma involved.

About the transition from TV to movies.
Both platforms have their own kinds of challenges. With films, your performance stays forever. People will remember it for a long time if you have done a good job, it is more long-lasting that way. I also love working in television. Basically, I am open to good roles irrespective of the platforms; I only yearn for good work.

What’s in the pipeline?
I have a lot of web-shows lined up. I am also reading through a few scripts. I work in a lot of advertisements and hope to work in a lot more movies.