On the small screen, she was an undisputed champ. Prachi Desai, known for the goody-two-shoes image she portrayed in the hit TV series Kasamh Se, quickly became the nation’s sweetheart as Bani Dixit in the Ekta Kapoor TV show. But she didn’t stay in television for too long, preferring to make the switch to Bollywood instead. And once her debut movie Rock On was certified a hit, she decided to stay put. The turning point, she says, was Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, which led her to believe audiences have accepted her as a film heroine as well. But throughout her journey, she had always looked upto Ekta as a mentor. The woman who introduced her with Kasamh Se was also responsible for OUATIM, and given Ekta’s clout in the industry, it was always felt Prachi would also become huge. Somewhere along the way, things started to sour between the two. To an extent that today, they aren’t even friends anymore. “I wouldn’t say my association with Ekta is the same as it used to be,” she says in a guarded tone.
But the mere fact that she isn’t working in any of the big budget projects by Balaji speaks volumes about the ruffled equations between the two. “I don’t understand how my equation with Ekta interests anybody else,” she shrugs it off.
Since she seems keen to talk about happier topics, we decide to quiz her about her upcoming films, Bol Bachchan and I, Me Aur Main. “I’m very fortunate to be working opposite really good actors like Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham in these two films. Hopefully I’ll be recognised because of them and become the new ‘in’ actress,” she smiles.
Prachi has already achieved another one of her ambitions: to move into her own house. “Buying a house of my own is the first step to stability. From my soap and reality show days, I have been wanting to own a house. I’m very thankful it happened,” she adds.