The Elton John song echoed in our heart!

Yes, another ‘Candle-in-thewind’ was blown out all over again with the pearly Pratyusha hanging from a ceiling fan... That was a life lost, a dream drowned and a hope Lacked... And

so appallingly, a Tamaasha was created around it, what with that crowd of so-called well-wishers, all primped &

preened, heaving heavy sighs before those hungry News Cameras, mouthing banalities about ‘their’ poor dear

Pratyusha...

But where was everybody when she was elbowed in the abyss...

A few years back, Pratyusha had a heart-to-heart with GR8! and today, its prophetic irony is nothing short of thudding... Here is sharing the same all over again…

On being an Actor...

‘My Mirror told me I was one... I would stand before it preening myself for hours - you see, I’m so obsessed with myself and the Mirror always went gaga over me... I was in love with it - still am...!’

On others’ reactions...

‘Oh, they were so nasty... Back home at that juncture, all would smirk at me - ‘What? You? An Actor? Have you lost it? Who would look at you in a place like Bombay?’... But I always turned a deaf ear to them... I knew what I am and what I would be... So one day, I just grandly declared to my parents - ‘Look, I have to be in Bombay to pursue my luck in Acting’...!

On Resentment at home...

‘In all Middle-class households, ‘Showbiz’ is a scary place for their children to be in and mine was no exception... But I persisted and my persistence paid at last... My tenacity won over my parents’ resistance and finally, they came round to my thinking...!’

On the Train-to-Mumbai...

‘Once my folks decided to stand by me in my resolve to enter the portals of the tinsel town, not much time was lost in hopping onto the Train-to-Mumbai... My father was with me and the journey was rather silent, initially... A strange blend of euphoria, anxiety and longing was curling around me while I sat there in my seat silently, staring at nothing in particular... And then, suddenly, I turned to him and said - ‘Papa I’ll rule over Bombay!’...!’

On Life in Metro...

‘Coming from Jamshedpur, I was every inch a small-town girl... Landing in the Metro, we stayed in our uncle’s house in Ambernath, initially and there, I felt I had hardly moved from Jamshedpur... But then, I visited Lokhandwala in the Suburbs and suddenly, I was scandalised, looking at those skimpy dresses, girls hugging boys freely and what not - it was a Cultural shock...!’

On Balika Vadhu...

‘From its very beginning, I’ve been hooked to this Serial and I’ll always show it to my granny and others in the house... After moving over to Bombay, I gave routine auditions to Sphere Origins (Productionhouse) and nothing came of them... Then, one day, they called - ‘Come and auditionnimmediately, it’s for a very big serial…’, still not telling me the name... and next I knew, I was taking over from Avika (Gor), the little Anandi...!’

On the daunting Costars...

‘I’ve never ever felt daunted at all... Yes, I was coming in the place of hugely popular Avika, but you see, Anandi is a superbly crafted role by its writers, so an actor is no big deal in its projection onto the Screen - be it Avika, me or anyone else - Anandi would have impacted the viewers instantly, any which way... Then, the veterans on the Sets, here, are always delightful rather than daunting... And I’ve found a best friend in Gehna (Neha Marda), here...!’

On Shashank, her hero...

It was at my ‘Look-test’ that I saw him... He was trying to control his tendency to race with the lines... And I didn’t like him... My instant impression of him was - ‘Who’s this guy - he’s such a pain!’... And somebody whispered - ‘Maybe, he’s your hero!’... And I groaned - ‘Oh, no, Mujhe Isske Saath Kaam Nahin Karna!’... But things changed from the very next day after dinner & coffee together and I started liking him’...!

On Money...

Money is very, very important... You could even say, it’s the be-all and end-all of life... Arre, tell me, what are we here for?... Why do we slog at all, if not for Money?... You get crippled without it, no?... It’s a must for living our life the way we crave to live… Jaise, I’m a Shopaholic and Money and Money alone lets me be that... For the ITA Awards, I had my most expensive ‘buy’ – a Designer-dress’... Tell me, could I ever do that without Money...?’

On Casual-sex...

‘You mean, ‘One-night-stands’? Well, that depends... It differs from person to person... But if one wishes it - it’s OK, I guess... We cannot and should not be judgmental about it...!’

On Live-in...

‘That, again, is a matter of individual choice and if a couple decides to be in a Live-in, it’s nobody else’s business... I do not have a boyfriend as of now, but if I had one - maybe, I would go in for it...!’

On Marriage, Commitment & Bonding...

‘Oh, I’m all the time so dreamy, dreamy about Marriage... I wanna get married soon... A committed bonding is a must in life... It shouldn’t be, like, one day, when you look back - there is no one for you...!’