PRACHI DESAI, 19, television actor
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Her life is the stuff of fairy tales. A simple 19-year-old girl dreams of being an actor, auditions for a role, gets selected and soon becomes a household name. Prachi Desai, more popularly known as Bani of Kasamh Se needs no introduction after she was crowned the winner of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 2. Prachi, who is all set to make her Bollywood debut opposite Farhan Akhtar in Rock On, attributes her success to hard work, destiny and her young age. “I was inexperienced but playing a much older character on television gave me an opportunity to mould myself and portray a wide range of emotions. Hard work and destiny play an important role, but the biggest thing is the ‘It factor.’ Either you have it or you don’t.” The actor also believes in doing the right thing at the right time.

Prachi was on top of the world when she bagged the lead role in Kasamh Se but was a bit apprehensive once she discovered she had to play someone older than her years. As she got into acting, she began enjoying the process. Constant support from her mentor Ekta Kapoor and co-stars – Ashwini Kalsekar and Ram Kapoor – burnished her acting skills.

The small screen star, who has already won numerous awards, is now keenly awaiting her debut film. Produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, Rock On has a contemporary theme with music as its USP. “The script is really interesting. I’m looking forward to it.” Prachi nurtures a desire to make it big in movies and act in a magnum opus like Devdas or a romantic comedy like Guddi.

After a hard day’s work, she gets little time for herself but usually catches up with her own serial and cartoons for 15 minutes. The achiever, who considers herself destiny’s child, is already aiming for the stars and is impatient to grow as an actor. “I’ve been quite lucky in getting what I want. After working in Kasamh Se for almost two years, I was looking for a change. I got a chance to participate in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 2. Now I’ll be acting in a big film. But TV will always be my first love.”