Priya Banerjee has worked across different languages and mediums and has left a mark in whichever space she has worked in at that point of time. Though her last Bollywood film could not release because of some issues, her recent appearance in Canadian singer Raghav Mathur’s music video ‘Maayera’, in which she portrays the titular character, has brought her back in the reckoning. Here is an excerpt from an interview.
How did this collaboration between Raghav and you happen?
Both Raghav and I are from Calgury in Canada. We have actually studied in the same school at different points of time. I had known of him but we had not spoken to each other in a long time. When he found out I was in Calgury, he asked me whether I would like to collaborate with him on his next music video. He sent me the song and I really liked it.
What was your reaction when you heard the audio track for the first time?
I fell in love with ‘Maayera’ when I heard it for the first time. I thought it was different from the kind of Hindi pop songs I had heard recently. Today, there is an overdose of Punjabi songs and remixes. We are hearing similar kind of tracks all the time. ‘Maayera’ sounded really refreshing and I loved the romantic vibe in the track.
The video has been shot in a very interesting way. One could interpret a lot of things about the story and the characters after seeing it. How was your experience of shooting for it?
I had a great time shooting for the video. It is one of those rare music videos which has an open ending. I guess that is what makes it interesting. Initially I had no idea how they were going to shoot the video. Raghav told me I am playing this girl who this man has been in love with and now, they are no longer together.
Were you disappointed by the fact that your last Hindi film ‘3 Dev’ could not make it to the theatres?
There were a lot of issues with the release of the film. The trailer and songs were out and all of us had started promoting the film. During this phase, we started facing some problems. As the film touched upon religion, there were some issues regarding that as well. From what I know, the producers are trying to sort out the issues at the moment. Hopefully, if everything falls into place, the film should release next year.
You have two more films lined up for next year – ‘Humein Tumse Pyaar Kitna’ and ‘Dheet Patangey’.
‘Humein Tumse Pyaar Kitna’ has been acquired by T-Series and they will be releasing and distributing the film. Karan is inside the Bigg Boss house at the moment, so we will have to wait for him to come out. I am sure his Bigg Boss stint will hype his popularity and help the film as well. There were some reports suggesting that our film is a remake of ‘Darr’ but it is a very different film. Juhi Chawla has done a cameo in the film. Karan is playing an anti-hero who is in love with the character I play. I cannot talk much about the plot as it is a thriller. ‘Dheet Patangey’ is in a completely different space altogether. It is a period film set in the 80s.
What are you doing next?
I finished shooting for a show called “Marry Me, Stranger” a while back. It is a thriller produced by Goldie Behl. I have signed another show but I am not at the liberty of talking about it at the moment. I am also in talks for a film.