Interview: Racing ahead..Ragini Khanna ..!

Racing ahead

You've always shied away from being known as Govinda's niece.
Yes, and I have no idea how people even know about this. I have never mentioned this to anyone. I always wanted to make it on my own. Before I stepped into this profession, I worked at a call centre so that I could save enough money to get a portfolio clicked. Then I went around giving 10 auditions a day but never got selected. Finally, I got a role in Radha Ki Betiyaan Kuch Kar Dikhaayengi and I'm proud that it was all on my own.

Did you ever take any tips from Govinda?
Of course, I did. When you have an uncle who has excelled in this industry, then I would obviously like to learn from him. Whenever I had any doubts, I would always speak to him about it. My entire family has always supported me.

Did you receive a lot of offers after Bhaskar Bharati?
I feared that either I'd be typecast after this show or that I would never get the chance to play a lead role again because channels may not want to repeat main characters. I was surprised when I was inundated with around 30 offers after Bhaskar Bharati. The best part is that all the characters offered to me are always out-of-the-ordinary characters.

So what made you pick Sasural Genda Phool?
It's a really unique series. It is about people from very different backgrounds and so there is a lot of conflict in ideologies. Though the main reason why I said yes is because Ravi Ojha has produced it. I would want to be part of everything that he does.

Tell us about what you do in the show.
I play the character of Suhana, a girl who has been brought up in an extremely rich family but is married into a middle-class family. She is temperamental and extremely spoilt. It's fun playing her, even though I am nothing like her.

Did you always want to act?
No. I always wanted to be a singer or a dancer. I am trained in both for a number of years. As a teenager, I had my career as a pop star completely chalked out. Then, when I was around 20, I decided to give acting a try.

Have you signed on a film?
Yes, I have and I'm very excited. But it's too early to reveal anything about it. I want to concentrate just on Sasural Genda Phool right now. I like doing only one thing at a time.

Will you give preference to films over television?
No way. If I had to give preference to any medium, then I would have left the other a long time ago. I love acting. As long as the work is interesting, medium doesn't matter.