‘Laapataa Ladies’ actor Pranjal Pateriya talks about the director Kiran Rao!

Pranjal Pateriya, an actor known for his veritality, charm and strong screen presence shares his exhilarating journey of landing the role in #LaapataaLadies directed by the acclaimed #KiranRao and produced by #AamirKhanProductions.

In November 2021, Pranjal received a casting call from Romil Casting Agency, helmed by casting directors Ram Rawat and Romil Modi. The initial audition, shrouded in secrecy and protected by an NDA, was for the character of Raghu. At the time, Pranjal was en route to Bhopal for the shoot of Gullak. Shortly after, he received a call from Navid, the Executive Producer, informing him that he had secured the role. Pranjal shared, “I was elated when Ram Rawat called to congratulate me. Initially, I believed I was cast for a 3-4 day role as Shambhu. It wasn’t until the workshop in Mumbai that I discovered I was actually playing Raghu, a character with a much longer arc. The realization was overwhelming, and I was moved to tears.”

Pranjal expresses immense gratitude for the opportunity to work under the direction of Kiran Rao. “Being new to the industry, working with Kiran ma’am has been a transformative experience. She is not only a remarkable director but also an incredibly kind and supportive individual and I would love to work with Kiran ma’am henceforth. Meeting her for the first time, I was both excited and nervous. However, her warm demeanor quickly put me at ease, and within 15-20 minutes, my apprehensions vanished.”

To authentically portray Raghu, Pranjal immersed himself in the script, reading it multiple times daily. “I didn’t just memorize the dialogues; I internalized the flow and emotions of the script,” he explains. “Observing people around me helped shape Raghu’s character. From their walking styles to their mannerisms, I absorbed everything. Growing up in a village gave me insight into Raghu’s behavior, which I translated into my performance.” Pranjal who is also known for his dance moves in the movie has been able to create a great impact on the audiences.

Pranjal Pateriya has earlier worked in many OTT projects such as Vadh on Netflix, Pustak on Jio Cinema, Gullak Season 3, Minus 31: The Nagpur Files on Amazon Prime, Maamla Legal Hain on Netflix. Pranjal, an ardent ShahRukh Khan fan is set to appear in several exciting projects- Nausikhiye,
Dupahiya, a series on Prime, Bahrupiya, Tapak Anthology and Civil Lines on Sony Liv.

Hailing from Chhatarpur, Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Pranjal’s passion for acting was kindled in KV Chhatarpur school play during 6th grade. He pursued drama and theatre at Raja Mansingh Tomar Music & Arts University in Gwalior, where he honed his craft under the guidance of his first theatre teacher, Shivendra Shukla.

By Keerti Kadam