Ragini Khanna “Doing 32 Lip Locks Isn’t An Achievement But Displaying 32 Different Shades As An Actor Is”

In this exclusive interview, RAGINI KHANNA tells JAYVEE that she has made a conscious decision of concentrating only in films after her last appearance in Sasural Genda Phool

After Sasural Genda Phool, you seem to have vanished into thin air!
I have not vanished at all. I was busy working in films like debutant Shankar Raman’s Gurgaon, debutant Pushpendar Mishra’s Ghoom Ketu opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui (unreleased as yet) and Akshay Kumar’s Punjabi film Bhaiji In Problem which hardly enabled me to devote time for TV

Was it a conscious desire on your part to quit TV?
The audience is so used to seeing an actor on TV every day and the actor automatically becomes a staple diet, whether he or she wants it or not. I am glad I decided to disconnect from TV and came back with movies like Akshay’s Punjabi film Bhaiji In Problem and Gurgaon, which was a crime thriller. If you are easily accessible on TV, the whole mystery and the surprise of cinematic mystery is lost. To each his own. I made conscious decision of concentrating on Cinema.On TV, an actor has got to speak even monologues. The way I perform on TV, I cannot perform in cinema. Even the shift of an eye ball will convey volumes in films. Films give you a lot of luxury to experiment and doing research and workshop. You can work on minute details of the character. On TV, you get the script of 50 pages in the morning and you have to deliver. Working in TV serials prepares you for a career in films by serving as a training ground automatically.

You have played challenging characters on TV till date!
All the roles that I have played on TV have not only been tough but also have been extremely challenging for me as an actor. It is quite tough for me as an actor because, believe it or not, in real life, I happen to be an introvert and extremely silent person though on screen I have a bubbly image.

You have always played different roles in TV serials and never let yourself be typed.
Till date, believe it or not, I have acted in only three TV shows though people think I am a veteran actress who has acted in over two dozen serials. They are Radhaa Ki Betiyaan Kuch Kar Dikhayenge, Bhaskar Bharti and last but not the least Sasural Genda Phool, because off and on I have been seen in various reality shows on TV like Dus Ka Dum, Star Ya Rockstar, Kaun Banega Karodpati, as host in Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and Gangs of Haseepur. For three months after Sasural Genda Phool, I was sitting at home and searching for a good script but nothing came my way. Something inside me was rebelling and I was restless because I was getting only identical roles as Suhana.

What kind of roles do you want to do?
I want to be challenged. I have played a spoilt temperamental girl called Suhana in Sasural Genda Phool. I have played a woman in a man’s body like in Bhaskar Bharti. I want to work with a director who is way beyond me. At the end of the day, I cannot really predict. It was a conscious decision not to repeat myself in any role because otherwise it will become monotonous for me as a person.

How open are you to wearing glamorous costumes in films?
It all depends on what kind of a girl I am asked to play in a film. If I am required to play a traditional girl with a conservative mentality, I will not wear a bikini but if I am required to play a ultra modern young girl, I’d not at all hesitate to get into a bikini.

Does it mean that to create a sensation, you will be game even to do 32 kissing scenes in a film like say Mallika Sherawat did in Khwaaish?
For me, my script alone is sensational. Besides, I consider that doing 32 lip locks in a film isn’t a big achievement as displaying 32 different shades of my character.

What do you prefer? Being hailed as a star or recognized as an actress who can deliver the goods?
After watching me in films like Teen They Bhai and Gurgaon,
you should have known by now that my priority is the writer and the director of the film and not the corporate which is backing a film. If I were glamour struck, I’d have manipulated to get myself launched with a Yashraj film or asked my uncle Govinda to recommend me to a big banner by using his clout. I’d not have started my career in Hindi films with Teen They Bhai.

Do you watch TV?
Honestly, I do not watch TV at all. I see only my own shows. TV comes with a baggage of its own. If you want to work on TV, you should be ready at the beck and call of the channel and the directors. You cannot afford to give time to films if you are busy 24/7 with a serial.

What is your criterion while choosing a film?
I choose people first. The script comes only later. I will never agree to do a film or a TV serial just because it is backed by a big producer or a big channel. I have immense respect for writers. A film is a different medium when you see it in the edit and then in its final shape.

How would you rate your uncle Govinda?
Govinda Uncle is a legend by himself. Perceptions about his image are not under my control, because even in my own case, how I am perceived by people is something which I cannot decide. I like my uncle’s Shola Aur Shabnam, Hatya and Swarg.

What do you think about the web series made today?
I have seen the new web series The inside Edge .Whether it is a web series or a TV show or a film, you have got to connect with the audiences if you want to be accepted by them. I am game to act in a web series like Permanent Roommates. Web series with brilliant content have a wider platform. If called for audition, in a second I’ll say yes after hearing the subject.