Stylist dances her way into debut film

Mumbai: Pernia Qureshi is well known in the fashion circuit. As a  stylist and a costume designer, she was applauded for her styling sense in the Sonam Kapoor-starrer Aisha. Little did one expect that this talented stylist would make her acting debut as a leading lady. From being behind the scenes to being in front of the camera, Pernia will be seen in filmmaker Muzaffar Ali’s next: Raqs: The Dance Within, recently re-titled Jaanisaar.

She admits she wasn’t sure about her acting skills in the beginning. “Muzaffar uncle is a family friend and had offered me the role. He said that he was writing a script and felt that I was fit for the role. I was taken by surprise and didn’t know if I could really act. I insisted that we do a screen test because I did not want to get into something without being sure. So, we did that and he gave me some lines to work on. Luckily, I passed the screen test.”

Ali, who is making a comeback on the big screen after a long gap, talks about casting Pernia as the leading lady, “She is essaying the role of a revolutionary dancer in the film. I chose her because she is different, unique and has danced her way into the film.” Talking about his love for periodical movies with historical importance he says, “I feel history is a very important topic to work on. There are two sides of history: one written by the conqueror and one which comes from poetry and art. I love exploring the latter side of history.”

Pernia, who’s been a dancer her whole life, shares she faced difficulty shifting from one form to another. “I have been a dancer since childhood. I am trained in Kathak, but for the last 8-10 years, I’ve been training in Kuchipudi with Radha and Raja Reddy. And for the film, I had to go back to Kathak and didn’t know that it would be difficult. I thought it would be an easy transition, but it was really hard.

My body got accustomed to a certain dance form and I had to break my whole body language to learn Kathak again. Birju Maharajji had a tough time re-training me. Then I went to Kumudini Lakhia in Gujarat, who had choreographed Rekha’s In aankhon ki masti in Umrao Jaan, who worked really hard on me as well.” Pernia says if the film does well, she will give acting a serious thought and not restrict herself to a particular genre. “I think I have opened a Pandora’s box and I don’t know what the future holds for me. For now I am really nervous. I hope people love my debut acting endeavour,” she says.