She is an ardent fan of soap operas. She has also starred in many serials including ‘Yeh Rista Kya Kehlata Hai.’ Pratyusha Bali from the western Odisha town of Bolangir has managed to carve out a niche for herself in the Hindi television industry. Orissa POST caught up with the actress to know more about her on-screen journey.
Daughter of Prabhabati and Umesh Prasad, Pratyusha attended the Government Girls High School and then graduated in psychology from the Women’s College, Bolangir. Her father retired from the forest department while her mother was a headmistress.
Popularly known as Reena in Odisha, Pratyusha Bali started her career with the Lucknow-based film ‘Raaz-e-aashiqara.’ She has also appeared in Zee TV’s ‘Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat.’ Her other projects include ‘Param Avatar Ganesha’ (Zee TV), ‘Maharaja Agrasen’ (DD), ‘Balchakradhara Krishna’ (Big Magic), ‘Krishna’ (&TV), ‘Rajat Rekha’ (DD), ‘TV Biwi Aur Main’ (Sab TV) and ‘Detective Dev’ (Sab TV) besides the popular TV soap opera ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ (Star Plus). Pratyusha has also acted in a few episodes of crime shows such as ‘Savdhan India,’ ‘Crime Patrol,’ ‘Fear Files’ and ‘Crime Alert.’
Looking back, Pratyusha Bali says, “It was tough. I went to Mumbai in 2014 and it was only after a year’s struggle that I got a chance to act on TV. I had not revealed my intentions to anyone. I went there and joined a short-term acting course at Puppet Acting Institute in Malad. When my instructor Rajesh Tiwari suggested a situation, all others would immediately start acting with dialogues. When he would say ‘prostitute’, a couple would start acting the role Kareena played in ‘Chameli.’ I was shy by nature and initially I could not come up with such quick responses. I thought this career is not my cup of tea. Later, I approached the chief instructor’s wife Swetha, who was also a tutor at the Institute, expressing my inability to come up with good performances. Then she started giving me tips to overcome my shortcomings. Gradually, I overcame my stage fright. Later, I did a short-term theatre course at Parichaya Theatre.”
She adds, “I got contacts at the acting class and attended auditions. Actors need to keep their photo ready to send to casting directors. At times, when producers or directors of an upcoming serial find a photograph appealing or befitting a character, they call the actor for audition. Thus, I was called for an audition, where I was selected. That’s how I got my chance.”
But building a career in acting is never simple. “You need to do many things before getting selected. And that is called struggle. On occasions, casting directors want favours from newcomers. You need to handle it a proper way; otherwise, you might step into the wrong path. However, the bottomline is that if you have talent, sooner or later you will get a chance. Some actors don’t hesitate to take a shortcut to grab an assignment, but that kind of success is short-lived,” says Pratyusha.
Recounting her experiences in film, the young Pratyusha Bali says, “I got star treatment in Lucknow when I took up the assignment of ‘Raaz-e-ashiqara’, directed by Raj Dubey, a nice gentleman. I enjoyed shooting for the film. The response was also good.”
Shooting for a daily soap is a different experience, Pratyusha says. “Actors enjoy shooting for serials. You are allotted rooms at the shooting location. All actors don’t need to be present at the same time. If you don’t have a role in a scene, you can remain in your room until you are called for the set. I faced a small problem in one serial because the shoot was wrapped up late at night.”
About her plans, Pratyusha Bali says, “I am preparing myself for a career in films. I act before a mirror to improve my performance. I hope I will enjoy real stardom soon.”
Himanshu Guru, OP
