‘I No Longer Need To Work For Money’

‘I
used
to
think
I’ll
become
a
big
heroine
by
21-22,
then
I’ll
make
a
big,
successful
movie
and
then
I
would
buy
a
house.’
‘But
when
this
was
not
happening
for
me,
it
was
heartbreaking.’

Known
for
her
work
in
film
and
television,

Parul
Gulati
seamlessly
transitions
between
her
on-screen
characters
and
entrepreneurial
ventures.
As
the
driving
force
behind
a
thriving
hair
extensions
business,
Nish
Hair,
she
has
carved
out
a
niche
that
blends
her
passion
for
beauty
with
astute
business
acumen.

In
this
interview
with



Rediff.com
Contributor

Mohnish
Singh,
Parul
opens
up
about
her
dual
career,
the
challenges
of
balancing
the
demands
of
acting
and
entrepreneurship
and
the
secret
to
her
success.

“There
was
a
point
when
I
was
promoting
a
Punjabi
film
and
somehow,
I
could
tell
that
it
would
not
work
for
me.
So
I
was
like,
‘Wait,
I
can
start
my
business
right
now.’
And
I
did.
I
just
jumped
right
into
it,”
she
says.

Tell
us
something
about
your
new
show,

Bluetick
(Verified).

It’s
about
a
girl
who
is
from
West
Delhi
and
wants
to
become
an
actress.

She
feels
popularity
on
social
media
can
be
a
way
to
do
it.

It’s
about
the
rise
and
fall
of
a
social
media
star
and
how
she
gets
up
again.

Any
young
girl
would
be
able
to
relate
to
this.

To
what
extent
do
you
use
social
media?

I
use
it
to
promote
my
brand
and
my
projects.

What
inspired
you
to
pursue
a
career
in
acting,
and
how
did
you
get
your
first
break
in
the
industry?

I
got
selected
on
Facebook
when
I
was
in
school.

It
wasn’t
planned
at
all.
I
was
still
studying,
and
figuring
out
what
I
wanted
to
do
in
life.

That
first
project
in
front
of
the
camera
felt
like
a
drug.
Suddenly,
I
wanted
to
do
it
so
badly.

I
wanted
to
do
it
for
the
rest
of
my
life,
and
I’m
still
pursuing
it.

How
much
were
you
paid
for
your
first
show,

Yeh
Pyar
Na
Hoga
Kam?

They
paid
me
Rs
50,000
a
month.

I
wasn’t
even
18
then
and
didn’t
have
a
bank
account.
So
the
main
signing
authority
was
my
mother.

What
happened
after
that
show
ended?

I
think
initially,
things
happened
without
me
expecting
anything.

Everything
felt
like
a
blessing.

The
fact
that
I
could
get
this
much
felt
surreal
because
I
came
from
a
very
humble
background.

We
barely
had
anything.

The
setback
is
when
you
realise
you
haven’t
reached
where
you
felt
you
should
have.

I
think
that’s
when
I
started
feeling
terrible.

I
used
to
think
I’ll
become
a
big
heroine
by
21-22,
then
I’ll
make
a
big,
successful
movie
and
then
I
would
buy
a
house.

But
when
this
was
not
happening
for
me,
it
was
heartbreaking.

But
I
still
feel
I’m
living
a
dream.
I
have
a
way
better
life
than
I
ever
imagined
as
a
little
girl.

Did
you
face
the
casting
couch?

I
think
I
was
lucky
enough
to
never
encounter
something
like
that.

Even
if
something
was
going
in
a
direction
where
a
person
was
not
being
decent
or
trying
to
scam
me,
that
sixth
sense
played
in.

This
(casting
couch)
does
happen.
We
can’t
deny
it
but
you
need
to
be
smart
about
it.

Who
are
your
biggest
influences
in
the
world
of
acting
and
how
they
have
shaped
your
craft?

Irrfan
(Khan)
sir.
Everything
he
did
was
magic.

Then
there
is
Manoj
Bajpayee.
I
have
been
lucky
to
work
with
him
in
the
last
project
(Silence
2:
The
Night
Owl
Bar
Shootout).

I
love
Alia
Bhatt.
She’s
so
good
with
every
character. 

Did
you
get
an
opportunity
to
meet
Irrfan
Khan?

I
auditioned
for
a
film
which
had
him
as
the
lead
but
that
did
not
fall
through.

I
did
meet
him
during
that
time
after
the
audition.

The
film
happened
later
with
somebody
else.

Apart
from
being
an
actress,
you
are
an
entrepreneur.
What
motivated
you
to
start
your
hair
extension
brand
Nish
Hair?
How
has
the
journey
been?

I
saw
that
internationally,
when
somebody
becomes
really
big,
whether
they
are
actors
or
singers,
they
have
their
own
brands.

I
wanted
to
have
something
like
that.

Since
a
young
age,
I
had
goals
that
I
would
become
a
big
actress
and
have
my
own
business.

There
was
a
point
when
I
was
promoting
a
Punjabi
film
and
somehow,
I
could
tell
that
it
would
not
work
for
me.

So
I
was
like,
‘Wait,
I
can
start
my
business
right
now.’

And
I
did.
I
just
jumped
right
into
it.

I
kept
working
even
when
there
were
no
sales.

Nobody
knew
the
business
but
I
liked
the
thrill
of
creating.

I’m
somebody
who
loves
creating
things
from
scratch,
whether
it’s
a
character,
a
product,
or
a
content
piece
that
I
put
on
my
social
media.

How
do
you
balance
your
acting
career
and
a
successful
business?

I
just
do
it
because
I
don’t
see
any
other
option.

Sleeping
little,
working
more
is
my
rule.

It’s
been
a
long
time
since
you
haven’t
been
seen
you
on
television.

I
love
acting
on
any
medium.

But
now,
I
have
a
business
and
no
longer
need
to
think
of
how
to
pay
the
bills.

At
the
beginning
of
your
career,
you
do
things
so
that
you
can
pay
the
rent.

Because
of
my
business,
that
part
gets
taken
care
of.

So
now
I
only
want
to
work
on
great
stories.

TV
is
a
long
form,
and
I
don’t
think
I
can
give
that
much
of
time.

I’m
going
to
limit
myself
in
the
kind
of
projects
I
do.

You
used
to
work
in
the
Punjabi
film
industry
but
that
did
not
take
you
anywhere,
you
said
earlier.
Was
it
because
of
the
lack
of
strong
women
characters?

I
think
back
in
the
day,
yes.
Now,
I
think,
there’s
equal
opportunity
for
both.

Jatt
and
Juliet
3
did
well.
The
lead
Sonam
Bajwa
is
a
dear
friend.

Back
in
the
day,
I
think
they
were
also
finding
their
footing.

And
I
felt,
if
I
have
to
struggle,
I’ll
do
it
in
Hindi,
not
Punjabi.

I
wanted
to
work
with
certain
people
and
age
is
such
a
factor
for
us
actresses.

I
remember
right
after

Zorawar,
my
last
Punjabi
film,
I
did

POW
with
Nikkhil
Advani
because
I
wanted
to
work
with
a
director
like
him.

OTT
wasn’t
there
then.
Once
that
started,
I
started
doing
Web
shows
because
at
the
end
of
the
day,
whatever
time
I’m
putting
out
there,
it
should
make
me
happy.

Apart
from

BlueTick
(Verified),
what
else
are
you
working
on?

There
are
two
more
Web
shows
that
I’m
working
on.
One
will
release
this
year,
hopefully.