DELHI TIMES 27TH JUNE 2007

‘I JUST WANT TO DO GOOD WORK’
Payal Rohatgi on why she’s been out of sight and what’s changed in the meantime
MANDVI SHARMA

TIME OUT: I’ve been on a long sabbatical. It was part of a conscious decision to change on my part. I was going through an image reversal, trying to get away from a very glamorous image, and that is why I had to cut down on the kind of work I was doing earlier. I guess that’s the reason why one has not seen a lot of me partying and doing any thing except work. All this while, I have been working on myself. Actors, I feel, must invest a lot in their own self before they begin to count on their talent. I am just trying to improve and give my 100 per cent. As for the rest, I’ll leave it to the audience and the critics to decide whether I am an integral part of this industry or not. I am with myself a lot these days. I don’t have friends. During my time out, I have cut off everyone from my life. So when people ask me if I have a godfather in the industry, I just say, God is my godfather.

DANCE, DANCE: To make it in Bollywood, you have to be good looking, well dressed, a good dancer and also have a great screen presence. The best directors in the industry want a polished artist and a complete package, and for that, one has to work very hard. There’s a lot of competition and to beat that, one has to be one step ahead of the rest. I have started learning kathak and I owe it a lot. Kathak has got my life back on track. I have realised the importance of this art form and it gives me a lot of calm. I am learning the moves from Jaipur gharana. I learn at home and now I have a very disciplined life. Kathak has really sorted out my life.

ALL WORK: My next film, Dhol, happened to me eight months ago. I’ve realised the importance of good directors and good work. It’s easier for an actress to do her work and find a firm foothold in Bollywood by working with Alist directors. So, after Abaas-Mastan and Madhur Bhandarkar, I met Priyan sir, and he told me that he’d get back to me if there was anything for me in the future. He has a good memory and he called me for this movie. Apart from Dhol, I’ve done a special appearance with Ritiesh Deshmukh in Heyy Babyy.

LOOKING BACK: I think I was rather aggressive in the past and I am trying to leave that behind. I come from a small town and I guess Mumbai’s glitter got to me. The sudden cultural shock, the glamour and the money was not easy to handle and it unsettled me. But my career graph showed me how to see things as they are. This sabbatical has left that part of Payal in the past.

FAMILY MATTERS: I’m a computer engineer. I come from a very middle-class family. I’d never planned to be an actress. If I had, then I would have taken the right projects initially. But this world of glamour happened to me after I participated in the Femina Miss India contest. My mother’s a teacher, my dad is a chemical engineer and my younger brother’s an electronic engineer. I’m really proud to be an engineer myself. But I guess I have finally learnt my lessons. My family is very happy. My brother says he’s proud of me. My mom was with me on Mother’s Day. I saw it in her eyes – the happiness – and that makes me complete.

SINGLE AND HAPPY: I am very much single. I did go through my own cycle of relationships but I think all that does not matter now. Right now is a very important time for my career and I have to be focused. I just want to do good work. I am a typical Scorpio.

Payal Rohatgi

DELHI SHOW and DAD MEETING

hi had been in delhi for a few days.. had a performance at a corporate - Real Estate Awards function as well as i met my dad after nearly 4 years..
it was quite a meeting as the moment i saw him i started crying, he looked fragile and very thin.. their was tears in his eyes too.. i made him sit , he got me biscuits - protein ones to take with me.. v chatted about my transition, he said he was proud i was doing it so well without any support system.. i smiled as i was not in much talking mood..
you know, my earlier side of my personality was a reflection of my relation with my father, too much insecurity and being alone in this city..am glad i could fight my own demons as every event in our life happens for a reason.. and i feel as if i can see between various situations that occurred in my life to make me the person that i am now..life's way to teach you - never blame anyone for your actions, and love cannot be forced..
i clicked photos with him , frankly for my emotional requirement, but i feel much at ease now with my conscience..i hope that he feels the same.. as at the end of the day he is my dad..