Khushi Dubey: ‘In finite shows, stories are not dragged for TRPs’

Pics/Instagram

Remember the child actor from Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), who delivered some of the best lines with a poker face? Today, at 24, Khushi Dubey is a far cry from that. But her ease in front of the camera remains unchanged. After fronting Aashiqana, the actor is now basking in the popularity of Jubilee Talkies, a sweeping love story set against the backdrop of the film industry. In conversation with mid-day, Dubey discusses how Jubilee Talkies stands out in the TV world where overacting sells, and starting from square one in the industry despite being a child actor before.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

How do you see your journey from a child actor to re-entering the industry as an adult?
The most important thing is that you have to be a good actor. It is possible to gain the same stardom that one got in his childhood as an adult. Things might get tougher, but ultimately it depends on your acting [prowess]. In 2016, I quit everything to focus on studies for four years. Then I had to start from square one with Aashiqana.

Do you find it easy to navigate Bollywood to get a role?
It is a little [tough], although now people directly approach me for a role. However, I still have to audition for the bigger projects. I'm not the kind of person who socialises to get roles. In fact, I am bad at making contacts. I have seen people getting projects because they are friends with [those who are influential], but I never felt like making friends for a project.

A still from Jubilee Talkies

When you took up Jubilee Talkies, did you have any apprehensions that it could go off air soon?
I don't stress about it. The show could [be pulled off air] for any reason, and I can only focus on acting. If I start thinking about [the longevity] of the show, [my performance] may go for a toss. No one person can be blamed for a show not working. While I want it to run for a long time, I have never insisted that it run for a year. Even if it's a six-month show, it's fine by me. The beauty of finite shows is that they have a fixed and crisp storyline. Stories are not dragged for TRPs.

In television, the longer a show runs, the more success it garners. How do you approach a show in such an environment?
I try to gauge if I am happy with what I am doing. Am I happy doing a saas-bahu drama? Is it giving me creative satisfaction? I ask myself these questions. I liked Jubilee Talkies because it was unconventional compared to other TV shows. I know the storyline until the end, and it is not dragging or monotonous. Even when Saurabh Tewari [producer] was narrating the story to me, at a lot of high points, I was quite surprised. If you cannot predict the story, that means it is intriguing. Seeing an ordinary woman enter a superstar's life [may seem] simple, but the execution is larger-than-life.

Madhubala was about a superstar's love-and-hate relationship with a common woman. Would you still call it unique?
I have seen bits of Madhubala and Jubilee Talkies, their storylines have nothing in common, except that the protagonist is playing a star. Deepak Chauhan sir's direction and treatment are different. We want to show the workings of the glamour and film industry.

Do you feel restricted as an actor on television?
A bit. Sometimes the script is such where you cannot perform naturally, [the acting] might get over dramatic. But here, I have lots to do. My director has given me the freedom to let me act naturally and not go over-the-top.

Do you find TV regressive otherwise?
That happens because they have to televise episodes every day. So, the storyline [gets muddled], people put anything [senseless] in the storyline when a certain plot point raises TRPs, and that plot goes on for six months. That's why having a finite show [is better], it doesn't experience this treatment.

It's difficult to connect you with the Dil Dhadakne Do girl, who had some of the best dialogues in the film. How different are the worlds of films and television?
It is 180 degrees different, from work culture to acting. Movies are about being subtle, especially Zoya ma'am [Akhtar, director]. She has a [clear] vision and thought process. She'd tell me that my character is deadpan, so whatever she says, it has to come off right. You get a lot of time in movies to build your character. The work culture in TV is hectic and there is too much on the plate.