'I am old school and want what my parents have. They have been together for 35 years and still go on dates.'
In an industry where lineage often sets the stage for greatness, Pashmina Roshan is set to make a mark of her own with her much anticipated acting debut in Ishq Vishk Rebound.
She's the latest talent to emerge from the Roshan family -- she's Composer Rajesh Roshan's daughter, Film-Maker Rakesh Roshan's niece and Superstar Hrithik Roshan's cousin.
"Nobody from my family ever called up anyone in the industry to offer me work.vFor the longest time, nobody knew I was a Roshan. Now that many people know which family I come from, my surname will definitely attract attention," Pashmina tells Rediff.com Contributor Mohnish Singh.
What kind of pressure do you feel as a debutante actress?
I would be lying if I say there is no pressure. It's definitely there.
Who doesn't want the audience to go to the cinemas to watch their film and love them? At the end of the day, we want the acceptance of the audience.
We have put our heart and soul into the making of this film.
It's a young, new-age love story, filled with a lot of fun, romance and confusion.
What is your idea of love in today's times?
There are many new things that have come into play when it comes to modern relationships.
There are situationships, breadcrumbings, and lovebombings. We have heard these terms more often than not throughout the promotions and trust me, these situations exist.
I believe the times of my mom and dad was simple.
Having said that, there were confusions back then as well. Humans are very complicated creatures.
When it comes to love, some sort of confusion will always be there. Love is always going to be difficult in a way.
But I feel that comfort in love can be found everywhere. Pyaar pyaar hota hai, be it in 2003 or 2024.
I am old school and want what my parents have. They have been together for 35 years and still go on dates.
I want to experience that for myself.
I want that one person you want to grow old with.
What acting advice did you receive from your cousin, Hrithik Roshan?
I have received a lot of general, life advice from him.
He is a different person. His mind is very different, and he really appreciates me.
He tells me to work hard. There is no substitute to hard work, he says.
But he doesn't even need to tell me this. I see it in him. He is the epitome of hard work.
Did you show him any work of yours?
I show him every work that I do.
He always gives me his honest feedback.
He doesn't mince his words, thinking, 'Oh, she is my little sister.'
His feedback comes with a lot of honesty.
That is in our family, I believe. Everybody is honest with each other. But his feedback is most valuable to me.
Instead of asking him how was my work, I ask him, 'Where and how can I improve?'
We have seen how star kids have faced accusations of nepotism. What is your take on this?
If people say there is nepotism or privilege for people coming from a film family, that is there.
Having said that, nobody from my family ever called up anyone in the industry to offer me work.
For the longest time, nobody knew I was a Roshan.
Now that many people know which family I come from, my surname will definitely attract attention.
I am not going to deny that I don't have privilege. Even if I receive advice from anyone in the family, that is a privilege.
Their support is a privilege.
There is monetary privilege as well.
Having said that, I have worked really hard to realise my dreams.
When did you fall in love with films?
I fell in love with films on the sets of Koi... Mil Gaya (2003). I was so mesmerised that I did not want to go home.
My love for films has grown.
I always feel a film set is where I am the happiest.
But to become worthy of being in cinema demands a lot of hard work.
Even before I began auditioning for work, I groomed myself. I did acting classes, dance classes, etc.
I used to take feedback from the family on a regular basis.
I have given multiple auditions and faced multiple rejections.
I bagged Ishq Vishk Rebound through auditions.
I did not hear from the makers for two-three months after I auditioned for the film. I was so used to getting rejected that I was like, 'It's nothing new.'
I remember I was in the passage of my home when I got a called from the team, saying, 'It's looking good.'
I was ecstatic.
There was this idol of Ganesha in the passage and my mom was coming from somewhere. She saw me and realised something had happened because my expressions had completely changed.
She walked up to me and hugged me. It's a different feeling.
You were very nervous at the song launch of the film, but now you look pretty comfortable. What has changed over the past few days?
As I said before, everything is a learning for me.
I prepared a lot for acting but nobody told me how to prepare for promotions (laughs).
Acting on a film set is different but talking to the press from a stage is a totally different ballgame.
I have opened up a bit since then, I believe.
What kind of response are you getting from the fans of original Ishq Vishk on social media?
We have been receiving a lot of love.
We are overwhelmed with the kind of response the teaser and songs have garnered.
We get some brickbats too, so it's not like that we are getting only love.
Having said that, we are looking at everything neutrally at this point because the film is yet to be released.
At what age did you realise how famous the Roshan family was?
I always knew they were famous because there were always people around them.
But when I grew up and started listening to dad's music and watched Tutu Papa's films -- I call Rakesh Uncle Tutu Papa -- especially films that he has directed and then started listening to granddad Roshan's songs, I was like, 'OMG, these guys are artists.'
I said to myself, 'Yeh ghar toh funkaron ka hai.'
I started seeing things differently after that.
They have always pushed me to polish my creative side.
For them, me spending time in a piano class is as important as attending tuition for mathematics.
I am so lucky to be born into this family.
It was easy for me to tell them I wanted to be an actress.
How happy is your father that you are set to make your debut?
It was his birthday on May 24 and the first song from Ishq Vishk Rebound released on the same date.
You know, they air a special programme on radio, playing popular songs of artistes on their birthdays.
I went to dad and said, 'Today, my song will also be played on the radio.' He had tears in his eyes.
It was a very big thing for me to have my song to play on his birthday.
Do you feel any pressure because you have a legacy to live up to?
Yes. They are big artistes. Everybody loves the work they have created.
I love the work they have done. Their work is immortal.
But I do not see it as pressure because if I do, I am not going to deliver.
For me, it is a dream to be able to create something that is in the hearts of the audience, like they have.
It's a dream that I can work towards.
