Seraphic Surveen
Geety Sahgal, Four Bungalows
Petite and angelic are the first things that will strike when you see Surveen Chawla flitting around the sets of Sony TV's new soap Kaajal, where she plays the role of a spirited young girl from the small town of Mussoorie, who comes to Mumbai to be an RJ, and finds true love.
"Kaajal is a lot like me," grins Surveen as she talks about her character, "Like her, I am bubbly, chirpy and always laughing. I am also very traditional in my thought and essentially very God-fearing. The reel and real me are also similar because we do not think twice before boldly standing up for what we believe in. I think the only difference between the character and me is the way we dress. While Kaajal looks like a pretty Indian picture due to her traditional attire, I am always in a t-shirt and capris! I wear Indian outfits only on rare occasions," she reveals.
If you see the ease with which she enacts every character, you will find it hard to believe that her initial career choice was to be a surgeon. "I studied till graduation in Chandigarh. I was very academically inclined, I also did exceptionally well in my tenth standard exam. At that time, the idea of studying to become a surgeon appealed to me. However, on second thoughts I opted to study commerce in the eleventh standard and then a degree in business management. But fate had other plans for me. I have trained in classical music for several years, so when Channel [V] organised a contest called 'Pop Stars', I participated and was also selected as one of the eight finalists!" she quips.
She believes that the show and her shifting base to Mumbai is what changed her life, "After coming here, I was bitten by the glamour bug, and wanted to try my luck in the entertainment industry. Within four days of this decision, I auditioned and bagged the role of spunky Charu in Ekta Kapoor's Kahin To Hoga," she smiles while explaining her journey. Subsequently, impressed with her performance and popularity, Ekta offered her a more serious role, that of Kashish in Kasauti Zindagi Ki.
Surveen was noticed, and appreciated in both the serials. After she completed her contracts with both serials, she was waiting for interesting work, when Kaajjal came along, "There were many offers, but I had made up my mind that if I continue in serials, I would accept only lead roles. Or else accept the propositions from the South Indian film industry, from where I was getting a lot of offers. I then gave a 'look test' for Kaajjal, and was selected as the lead. The rest like they say is history," she giggles.
She is quick to clarify that though she would like to do films in the South, she will never leave television; because of the adulation it has given her, "I will strike a balance between the two mediums. But, as of now, I am so busy that I do not have time to even think," she laughs. So what does this damsel do when not working? She likes to spend a lot of her time playing with her pet dog, sleeping, or simply pottering around her home while listening to music, "I do not have the time perform Riyaz, but I try to listen to a lot of music. I may even contemplate a career in singing in the distant future," she states.
Signing off she shares her mantra on life, "I think it is futile to plan for the future, as things happen on its own. Now I live only for the day. I gave up planning when I realised that life will anyway take only that course that is destined."
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