Pragya Jaiswal loves being in front of the camera — be it on film sets, at photo shoots, or while performing as a showstopper for fashion designers. Working in Khel Khel Mein starring Akshay Kumar gives her a feeling of Déjà vu, because she had once auditioned for Akshay’s Gabbar Is Back but though shortlisted, lost out to an established actor. “The same director took me in his Telugu film, Kanche,” she says, adding, “I still have a long way to go.”
Excerpts from a conversation, where she talks about working with the Bollywood biggies Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar.
Pragya, who is part of Salman Khan’s talent management service, ‘Uniworld Being Talented’, said, “I am happy to be with an agency that gets me good work and above all respects me. And if you have Salman sir ki chatra chaya, toh yeh sone pe suhaga hota hai. If you need any help, he is almost like a mentor.”
She confessed that she was scared about meeting Salman on the first day of the shoot of Antim. “I was thinking, ‘How will I talk to him? Will he like me or not? But Salman sir treats you so normally. Though he carries the superstar image, in his presence, your doubts and fears just fly out of the window. He is the nicest human being to work with and to be around. As a co-actor, I had a wonderful experience working with him. He was chilled out,” she shared.
Talking of his qualities as a person, Pragya said, “Salman sir has a huge heart. He is very kind, is a lovely, helpful person. He guides you and is a thorough professional. He is great at his work. He gives prodigious inputs. He helps you in your work too.”
Asked to compare her experiences working with Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, the actress said, “They are both superstars in their own leagues.”
Describing Akshay Kumar, Pragya said “he is very respectful of time. On his sets, everything happens on time. He is also very funny. His improvisations and pranks bring a lot of masti. We work hard and to the best of our abilities, and also enjoy the work.” Elaborating on his tendency to play pranks on the sets, Pragya recalled a shower shot in the movie. “Akshay Sir was planning to turn the shower on me before the shot could start, but dropped the idea at the last minute,” she said, adding that he had told her of his intention later. She was glad that he didn’t follow through with the prank as it would have affected her make-up. “He is funny but is also serious about his work,” she reiterated. Pragya was tight-lipped about her project Tyson Naidu, shooting for which is in progress.
Meanwhile, the actress was thrilled to see herself on posters lining the road from Bandra to the Airport as she was en route to Hyderabad from Mumbai.
