Guess who? Dreamt of becoming 'Top ki heroine,' THIS ACTRESS left her 'small village & govt job,' now RULES TV

Hailing from a small town in Himachal Pradesh, once having worked in a bank, and someone who once dreamt of becoming a “top ki heroine”, she has now made a strong mark on Indian television. The actress, who is currently enjoying the success of her show and winning audience love for her performance, has become a familiar face on screen. Her journey from a quiet village life to the glamour of television is nothing short of inspiring.

Currently, she is seen leading a popular television show that continues to perform strongly on television and is even competing with some of the biggest daily soaps on air. The show has been gaining attention for its storyline as well as performances, and her role has been receiving appreciation from viewers. Well, we are talking about none other than Priya Thakur, the actress who is currently dominating headlines for her show 'Vasudha' being a TRP topper. In an exclusive conversation, Priya Thakur opens up about her roots in Himachal Pradesh, her early struggles, and how her dream of becoming a “top ki heroine” eventually brought her to Mumbai, the city of dreams.

A small town girl from Himachal Pradesh who wanted to be a 'Top ki heroine':

Reflecting on her early life in Hamirpur, a small village in Himachal Pradesh, Priya shares, “Actually, I belong to Himachal and I am from a small village in Hamirpur district. Wahan pe honestly koi aisa atmosphere hi nahi tha, koi background hi nahi tha jahan pe log ye sochte ho ki haan koi heroine banegi ya actress banegi. But pata nahi kaise, mere andar ye dream aa gaya. Maine bas ek din decide kar liya ki mujhe actress banna hai, aur phir maine apne aap se hi bol diya ki ab toh ye hoga hi hoga. Aisa hota hai na ki jab aap kisi cheez ko bahut dil se chahte ho, toh aap usko attract karne lagte ho. Mujhe aaj bhi lagta hai ki shayad maine tabhi us dream ko apne andar attract kar liya tha, kyunki main hamesha yahi sochti thi ki mujhe actress banna hai, bas aur kuch nahi. Lekin mere parents mere saath nahi the is baat pe. Unko lagta tha ki main galat soch rahi hoon, abhi bachchi hoon, kahin bhatak jaungi. Wo is idea ko leke sure nahi the aur mujhe thoda bura bhi lagta tha ki yaar aap log mujhe support kyun nahi kar rahe ho.”

Once did side roles in Punjabi industry, THIS is the reason Priya became an actress:

Priya’s journey then took her to Punjab where she pursued microbiology, and it was during this phase that she got her first break in acting. She recalls, “Tab main Punjab University se microbiology kar rahi thi, aur tab mujhe pehli baar pata chala ki theatre kya hota hai, auditions kya hote hain, aur log plays kaise karte hain. Maine thoda explore kiya. Mujhe aaj bhi yaad hai meri ek friend thi, usko audition dena tha aur wo mujhe apne saath le gayi. Uska selection nahi hua, but mera ho gaya luckily, aur wahan se mujhe Punjab mein hi mera pehla show mila jahan maine choti behen ka role kiya.”

Unlike many who enter the industry with a clear acting plan, her initial motivation was quite simple and innocent. She says, “Honestly, main heroine isliye banna chahti thi kyunki mujhe sirf us time ke glamorous side ke baare mein pata tha, jaise roz makeup karna, achhe kapde pehnna, dress up hona. Aur ab jab wo sab daily life ka part hai, tab samajh aata hai ki kitna effort lagta hai. But us time pe wo sab bahut exciting lagta tha.”

When she moved to Mumbai, reality hit her:

Motivated by friends, she eventually moved to Mumbai to pursue acting, but reality turned out very different from her dreams. She shares, “Bahut zyada struggle tha. Samajh hi nahi aa raha tha ki kya karun, kahan jaaun, auditions kaise milenge. Starting mein toh har jagah rejection hi rejection hota tha. Kabhi kabhi aisa lagta tha ki shayad main galat jagah aa gayi hoon. Lekin phir andar se ek awaaz aati thi ki nahi, yahi karna hai, yahi banna hai. Main auditions deti rahi, chhote chhote roles ke liye jaati rahi, aur har rejection ke baad phir se khud ko sambhalti rahi. Mumbai mein akeli rehna bhi easy nahi hota, especially jab aapke paas strong support system na ho.”

But before it all, she gave up her 'government banking job':

Before pursuing acting, she once cleared a banking job examination but chose not to join. Speaking about that phase, Priya reveals, “Banking job actually meri confirm ho gayi thi, but maine join nahi kiya. Us time COVID chal raha tha aur saath hi main apna masters kar rahi thi Microbiology mein, toh exams bhi chal rahe the aur banking exams bhi side by side ho rahe the. Samajh hi nahi aa raha tha ki kya karun aur kya chhodun. Mujhe padhna kabhi bura nahi laga, ulta mujhe acha lagta tha, toh main continuously padhai karti rehti thi. Mere papa ka clearly mindset tha ki government job ya koi secure future hona chahiye. Aur main hamesha apne parents ko happy dekhna chahti thi, especially papa-mummy ko. Har bachcha yahi chahta hai. Toh maine socha ki chalo papa ki choice follow kar leti hoon. Maine banking ka exam diya aur surprisingly woh clear bhi ho gaya. Mere friends bahut khush the, sab bol rahe the ki ho gaya, ab future set hai. But honestly, mere andar confusion aur zyada badh gaya tha kyunki ab mere paas koi excuse bhi nahi bacha tha.”

Sharing how she finally chose acting over banking, she adds, “Ab interview ki date aa gayi thi aur papa ka bhi mindset tha ki ab jab clear ho gaya hai toh interview toh dena hi padega. Main andar hi andar soch rahi thi ki main papa ko kaise bataungi ki main ye nahi karna chahti. Maine kaafi try bhi kiya tha ki shayad clear na ho, but woh ho gaya tha. Phir finally mujhe papa ko bolna pada ki main banking nahi kar paungi. Papa ne us moment ko itna seriously nahi liya. Unhone simple sa pucha ki agar ye nahi karogi toh phir kya karogi? Heroine banna hai toh paise kaise aayenge, future kaise secure hoga? Unhone bola ki theek hai, nahi karna mat karo, jao apni life apne hisaab se decide karo, khud kamaoge khud khaoge. Main soch rahi thi ki shayad baat yahin khatam ho gayi. Lekin next day scene change ho gaya. Papa bole, “chalo interview ki preparation karo, ye woh sab karo.” Maine bola ki kal toh aapne hi bola tha jo karna hai karo. Toh papa bole ki aise kaise chhod denge, itna padha likha hai, future secure karna bhi toh important hai. Woh confusion aur emotional back and forth ka phase bahut tough tha. Finally, maine unko request kiya, samjhaya, aur at the end of the day parents wahi karte hain jo unke bacchon ke liye sahi lagta hai. Dheere dheere unhone mujhe support kiya aur bola ki theek hai, ek chance le lo.”