‘I know my career is not over yet’

... says actor Sagarika Ghatge, as she tells us why she only did three Bollywood films after Chak De India

Actor Sagarika Ghatge (right) had struck gold in her very first film, when she played the role of hockey player Preeti Sabharwal in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chak De India (2007). The 29-year-old actor still believes that the film was a “once in a life time opportunity” and is not sure if she will be a part of such a big film again.

“Will I be able to be part of a movie that was so huge, is something that has stayed at the back of my mind,” she says, adding, “After so many years, the fact that people still know me as the girl from Chak De is something that is very important for me. The role that I portrayed in the film has definitely stayed with me. Also, all that attention was not just restricted to me. Everyone else in the film was loved as well.”

“But my career is not over as yet, and I need to be realistic that there will be more movies that I will work in. But films like Chak De happen once in a lifetime and I was really blessed to have worked in that film,” she says.

Ghatge went on to do only three more Bollywood films — Foxx (2009), Miley Naa Miley Hum (2011) and Rush (2012), which weren’t successful. The actor says that she was caught up with her personal life and didn’t give enough time to acting.

“There were a lot of distractions in my personal life around that time and I wanted to clear them out. So, I didn’t have a lot of time to give to acting or films, and that’s why I was missing in action from the industry. I was scared about not giving it my best shot. Now, I think I am back and I am really excited about my upcoming projects,” she says.

Will I be able to be part of a movie like Chak De that was so huge, is something that is there at the back of my mind