BENGALURU: You will remember Prachi Desai from Rock On!! — her debut Bollywood film — in which she shared screen space with singer-actor Farhan Akhtar. Much has changed since, with Desai having worked on a wide spectrum of projects, including Life Partner, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, Bol Bachchan and more. Making her mark in the OTT world last year was her performance in Silence... Can You Hear It?
In Bengaluru recently for the launch of lightweight D2C fine jewellery brand Melorra’s experience centre at Phoenix Marketcity, she tells us that she’s thrilled to be travelling again. While the pandemic has halted everyone’s work, Desai kept herself busy... even trying different types of coffee. “There’s so much that the pandemic has taught me most importantly to channel my minds, time and energy towards the personal and greater good. Having said that, I spent my time ticking the box on trying different varieties of coffee, doing household chores and binge-watching all my favourite shows. This led to many sleepless nights,” says the 33-year-old.
She points out that her personal style has also changed since last year. While the word ‘comfortable’ seems to have overtaken all other adjectives in the context of style over the past one year, Desai has been living in and out of shorts, pyjamas and kaftans for months. “I now value the essence of dressing up for myself, however, big or small the occasion,” she says, adding that her interest in modern jewellery and accessories has grown.
On the work front, Desai is currently doing the film Forensic directed by Vishal Furia. “It’s a thriller with a barrage of human emotions and equations at play. I have an incredibly interesting role, that of a child psychiatrist. The subject of child psychology has always intrigued me,” she says. If that wasn’t interesting enough, it was the film’s location that sealed the deal with her. “Post the second lockdown, this film directly took me to the lap of nature in the beautiful misty hills and mountains of Mussoorie — just the experience I was yearning for,” she adds.
With Deepavali here, she’s hoping for an upward swing in the next year. “Deepavali has always been exciting for me. Each year, I find myself in a different location, sometimes even different time zones pertaining to the work schedule. Having said that, I have some great memories of spending it with my family and our film crews in the past. Decorative lights attract me the most and don’t even get me started on all the irresistible delicious food and sweets!”, she says.
Ask her about Bengaluru and she says, “It is surely one of my favourite cities. I love the spirit of the city — there is the daily urban hustle we are all absorbed in, yet there is a sense of calm I find. On that note, let me not give away my favourite spots in the city.”