‘If
you’re
a
person
who’s
not
comfortable
going
out
to
parties
for
networking,
don’t
do
it.’
‘It’s
not
like
you’re
getting
a
film
at
a
party.’
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Pragya
Jaiswal/Instagram
Despite
her
non-filmi
background,
Pragya
Jaiswal
has
created
space
for
herself
in
the
Telugu
film
industry
where
she
worked
consistently
for
years.
She
recently
made
her
transition
into
Bollywood
with
Khel
Khel
Mein.
Pragya
is
hopeful
the
film
will
benefit
her
with
more
opportunities
in
the
Hindi
space.
“I
am
hoping
to
receive
equal
amount
of
love
from
both
industries,”
Pragya
tells
Mayur
Sanap/Rediff.com.
Are
you
getting
more
offers
in
Hindi
after
Khel
Khel
Mein?
I
am
getting
a
lot
of
love
and
appreciation.
What
I
have
done
in
the
film
is
being
recognised
and
acknowledged.
I
am
in
talks
for
a
lot
of
things.
Let’s
see
how
it
materialises.
It
was
my
first
comedy
film
so
I
was
a
little
nervous.
Above
all,
it
was
my
first
Hindi
film,
so
I
had
a
lot
of
mixed
feelings
before
the
release.
I
am
glad
the
film
is
getting
so
much
love
and
hopefully,
in
time
I
will
know
if
it
benefited
me.
On
the
sets
of
one
of
her
Telugu
films.
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Pragya
Jaiswal/Instagram
How
did
you
overcome
the
language
barrier
in
the
Telugu
industry?
In
South,
there
are
a
lot
of
actors
who
have
come
from
the
North.
Language
is
never
a
barrier
for
an
actor
because
we
focus
on
doing
the
right
kind
of
script
and
roles.
Language
is
something
one
can
learn
on
the
job.
I
have
always
focused
on
the
scene
and
the
emotion
that
I
have
to
portray.
Maybe
in
the
first
film,
I
had
struggled
a
little
bit
but
it’s
a
small
barrier
that
I
overcame
long
time
ago.
Did
you
always
want
to
become
an
actor?
No.
I
didn’t
know
that
films
could
be
a
career
option.
In
school,
I
just
knew
that
I
was
a
very
hardworking
girl
and
if
I
put
my
mind
to
something,
I
will
make
sure
to
be
successful.
I
had
that
drive
in
me.
It
was
only
when
I
came
to
Pune
for
college
that
I
got
to
know
there
are
many
career
options
in
the
world.
It’s
not
just
about
becoming
a
doctor
or
an
engineer.
Luckily,
I
got
some
exposure
in
Pune
and
that
opened
up
my
mind.
I
started
doing
part-time
modelling
and
then
there
was
a
natural
progression
at
one
stage
and
I
decided
that
I
want
to
act.
Pragya
with
her
family.
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Pragya
Jaiswal/Instagram
Did
you
have
to
convince
your
parents?
Like
every
other
small
town
girl
story,
it
was
difficult
initially.
My
parents
wanted
a
proper
back-up
plan.
They
didn’t
think
anyone
could
pursue
modeling
and
acting
as
their
career,
so
they
were
not
very
comfortable
initially.
They
wondered
how
I
would
live
on
my
own
in
Bombay.
Plus,
we
didn’t
know
anyone
from
the
industry.
But
when
they
saw
my
first
Telugu
film
Kanche,
which
got
me
appreciation
and
best
debut
awards
that
year,
they
were
happy
and
supportive.
How
do
you
look
at
networking
and
social
media
presence
to
land
opportunities
in
this
industry?
All
these
things
are
very
subjective.
As
an
actor,
we
know
that
networking
is
important,
social
media
presence
is
important.
Personally,
I
think
one
should
do
what
they
are
comfortable
with.
If
you’re
a
person
who’s
not
comfortable
going
out
to
parties
for
networking,
don’t
do
it.
It’s
not
like
you’re
getting
a
film
at
a
party.
It
doesn’t
work
like
that.
If
you
have
a
great
social
media
presence,
but
you’re
not
a
good
actor,
you
won’t
get
a
film.
You
have
to
be
talented
and
hard
working
to
get
what
you
want.
It
is
a
lot
of
luck
by
chance
and
being
at
the
right
place
at
the
right
time.
On
the
sets
of
Khel
Khel
Mein.
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Pragya
Jaiswal/Instagram
How
do
you
look
back
at
your
journey?
I
look
back
at
my
journey
with
a
lot
of
gratitude.
There
have
been
ups
and
downs
and
there
have
been
a
lot
of
lessons
and
a
lot
of
learning.
Films
that
have
not
worked
out
have
taught
me
a
lot
about
life
and
made
me
a
better
person
and
actor.
I
feel
everything
has
worked
out
for
the
best.
Success
is
not
in
our
hands,
hard
work
is.
I
want
to
work
on
what
I
can
control.
For
what
I
can’t
control,
I
leave
it
to
God.
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Pragya
Jaiswal/Instagram
What
kind
of
offers
do
you
hope
to
see
coming
your
way?
I’ve
never
really
thought
of
these
things.
Everyone
has
a
wish
list
of
actors,
directors
they
want
to
work
with.
But
life
has
always
surprised
me.
You
sometimes
get
the
most
different
genres
and
roles,
so
I
don’t
know
what
to
expect.
I’m
getting
calls
from
different
kinds
of
film-makers
for
different
kinds
of
genres.
I’m
just
keeping
my
fingers
crossed.
