Parul Gulati on the second season of ‘Hey Prabhu’, emerging as one of the most prominent faces in the web space in the last one year, importance of training for an actor, forthcoming projects and more.
Would it be right to say that it has been one of the most eventful years for you?
I had three releases in the lockdown. Initially, I thought ‘why is everything coming out in the lockdown?’. But then, I realized it was a great time for all these shows to come out as everybody was at home and had enough time to watch content. The response that I got for my work was overwhelming. I feel grateful to have been part of so many successful shows in the last one year.
You have been a part of both the seasons of ‘Hey Prabhu’. How, do you think, the show has evolved in the two seasons?
I would say season one was a trailer of what we have done in season 2. In season 2, we are trying to explain or resolve things that were left off without a solution in the first season. This time, we are discussing the solutions to the problems we had discussed.
Out of all the roles you have done in the last one year, which one was the most special?
Playing Etasha from ‘The Raikar Case’ was very special. It was totally my director, Aditya sir’s vision. He is one person who deserves the maximum credit for the way my performance came out. ‘Your Honor’ I felt truly myself in it. A lot of preparation went into it. The language was very different. When you play a character who speaks in a particular dialect and comes from a place which you do not belong to, you realise a lot of hard work will go into it. My most favourite character till date would be Jannat Mirza from ‘Haq Se’.
You have a huge following on Instagram and are looked as a social media influencer. Do you think that that helps you as an actor too?
If you realize, actors or the big stars have always been influencers in some way or the other. Now, influencers are those people who build themselves on social media. Having a good reach on social media helps as it helps us get brand deals. I can also promote my shows through my social media pages. That is a very liberating thing.
You studied acting in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. How important, do you think, is training for an actor?
I did not do a full course in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. I did a summer course. I have done many workshops. I have not done a long course as I came to Mumbai when I was seventeen. I took a break to do these workshops. I wanted to become an actor who was good at her job. Training is very important for any profession. I did not get to do an elaborate course but I learnt a lot of things along the way
You started your acting career with a TV show but did not do much work on television after that. With the digital boom happening now, do you think you are getting to play the kind of characters you would have really liked to do?
Absolutely! When I started out, I was a nobody. I did not have any connections. For somebody like me, dreaming of playing a lead role in a film was very difficult at that point of time. I did one TV show but did not enjoy the process that much. I always wanted to do movies but nothing came my way. But to get the opportunity to play on web is a very interesting prospect. I never saw it happening for me.
What are you doing next?
I am shooting for one show. We just started shooting for it. I am not sure if it will release this year. The second season of ‘Illegal’ and ‘Your Honor’ are also in the pipeline.