I DIDN’T STAY AWAY FROM FILMS, FILMS STAYED AWAY FROM ME

Pooja Ruparel’s life changed overnight after playing Kajol’s teenage sister, the spunky, vivacious Chutki in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). While the role is still etched in people’s minds, the former child actor has not had an active career in the film industry due to the dearth of good opportunities.

“The other day I was hanging out with some friends and they called my character (in DDLJ) ‘cult’. It is heartening to know that my character lives on even after so many years. It was very different from what other children were playing at that time,” Ruparel, now 40, says.

One would expect that after being a part of such an iconic film, she would have transitioned into a busy actor as an adult. However, if not totally away, the actor has not been active in the industry. “It’s a misconception that I stayed away from films. Sadly, films stayed away from me. It’s about good work. Not just doing work for the heck of it,” she says.

Ruparel, who appeared in films such as X: Past Is Present (2015) and Amit Sahni Ki List (2014), continues,“I haven’t stayed away from acting. I have stayed away from bad work. My whole life, [I’ve stayed away from] any work that is regressive. When I was growing up there was a lack of parallel cinema. Even now, I am waiting to be part of the film industry. I don’t want to do just run-of-the-mill stuff. I have a Masters degree in psychology. I would be a hypocrite to do the saas bahu kind of films. I want to do work that resonates with me and adds to the social fabric,” she explains.

Branching out a little further in the entertainment industry, Ruparel has forayed into something she considers “more challenging” — standup comedy. The actor explains, “Anger drove me to comedy. I was ranting one day and my friend told me I was really funny when I am angry. It is very hard to do comedy, much harder than drama. It was a challenge for me to see if I can express myself in the least possible words.”

But at the end of the day, a good script is what she is looking forward to. “While waiting for good acting work to come my way, I explored five careers. Currently, I am writing something which I would like to present to an OTT. I am also just getting over the grief of the loss of my mother and grandmother. I lost them both last year. Time is very relative when you are in a state of grief,” she ends.