It is pleasant to chat with Kriti Kharbanda who greets you with a ‘Namaste’ before beginning a conversation.
“I am not a relative of Kulbhushan Kharbanda ,” Kriti makes it clear. Born in New Delhi and brought up in Bangalore, Kriti had her high school education in Baldwin. After completing her school, she attended Bishop Cotton and then completed her graduation from Sri Mahaveer Jain College. “I was very active in cultural activities during my school and college days. My friends used to call me ‘Drama Queen’. I never missed an opportunity to take part in cultural programmes,” remembers Kriti.
She did modelling for a few consumer products during her college days. “I was a model for Bhima Jewellery, Spar and Fair & Lovely. The Fair and Lovely promo is being telecast by various TV channels now. It is about comparing my face with the moon,” says the actress with a smile. It is her photo on the Spar billboard that caught the attention of an NRI director. He then contacted her for a Telugu film.
“Director Raj Pippala was in Chennai to select a heroine for his film ‘Boni’. He happened to see my photo on the Spar billboard. He contacted me through a mediator from Bangalore. I was selected from the 150 beautiful girls who attended the audition,” recalls the actress.
She got a chance to act in the Kannada film ‘Chiru’ after completing the Telugu flick. “I took a three-month gap before starting the shoot for ‘Chiru’," she says.
In the short span, did she note any difference between the Telugu and Kannada film industries? “I find no difference between the Telugu and Kannada film industries. I am lucky to work under with people like Raj Pippala and Mahesh Babu. I learnt a lot from the both of them,” she says.
Her Telugu film ‘Boni’ did not fare well at the box office despite the fact that it had Sumanth as the hero and Ramana Gogula’s music. But ‘Chiru’ is different, the actress says.
“It has all the ingredients that are essential for a film’s success at the box office. Producer Bharath and director Mahesh Babu did not compromise on the quality of the film. It was shot in beautiful locations across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu,” she says.
She plays the role a haughty girl in ‘Chiru’ in which Chiranjeevi Sarja plays the lead role.
“I play a level-headed girl in this action-oriented film. This character has the potential to keep the young cine-goers happy,” says the actress.
What are Kriti’s future plans?
“Modelling interests me a lot. But I want to become a jewellery designer in the future. That’s because I would love to let out my creative energy. Acting also needs a creative mind. But I might just take up jewellery designing when I decide to stop acting in films,” she signs off.