Patralekhaa: ‘I didn’t know who my neighbours were until Ganpati’ | Mumbai Meri Jaan

Patralekhaa Pic/Instagram

Actress Patralekhaa, who is garnering rave reviews for her performance in the Anubhav Sinha directorial web series ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' marks a decade in the entertainment industry. In an exclusive interaction with mid-day.com, she gets candid about her journey from Shillong to Mumbai and how the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi served as the ice-breaker for her in the maximum city.

Patralekhaa was determined to be an actress

Patralekhaa made her debut in 2014 with the film ‘CityLights' directed by Hansal Mehta. She starred alongside Rajkummar Rao, her now husband. She recalls, "People didn't warm up to me. It took me 10 years. When I was in Bangalore, I would get offers randomly to do modelling. I used to shut it off. Once I came to Mumbai, My dad wanted me to become a CA. He took me to the institute and enrolled me because he was a CA. For the first year, I was like, ‘Listen. I just came out of ICSE'. I used to study a lot because I was a good student and 'I just want to take a year off'. He was like, ‘Cool', and then we never spoke about it. It was an unsaid thing. We didn't have a face off and by then I was quite determined to do this (acting), but I didn't know how to navigate my way, I was so new. I didn't even have friends, but one thing like to the other. I hustled like a maniac."

Patralekhaa asserts she doesn't have a sad story

She continues, "I was not part of any agency. I used to get these bulk messages from coordinators. The good thing is, that I don't have any sob stories, my strength is my parents. I had a house back in Mumbai Oshiwara, which was the hub of all auditions, and this was all by coincidence. My parents just invested in a property in Mumbai, not thinking that their daughter is going to become an actress. Everything just fell into place. I went to all these additions because I liked going for them, it gave me a sense of achievement, of me, trying to make something out of my day every day instead of just sitting at home, I would meet tons of people, aspiring actors. I learnt so much in that journey. I don't have a sad story."

Ganesh Chaturthi was the ice-breaker for Patralekhaa

For Patralekhaa, the biggest cultural shock in Mumbai was that people mind their own business, which she thinks is a great thing but was very hard initially since she didn't know anybody. She states, "I was going out there to make friends. Eventually, I did end up making such amazing friends. I didn't even know who my next neighbours were until Ganpati time came and they knocked on my door. Ganpati brings in so many factors celebrating life, food, and meeting people, and it kind of broke the ice. Raj even sculpts Ganpati at home. Mumbai is a great city. It truly gives you so much in terms of wealth, people, and learning. I've been through the floods, and terrorist attacks, and I just see how people jump back, no matter what."