‘I am an absolute weirdo’

Actress Amrita Prakash, who has been a part of various shows and movies, started her acting career at the age of four and there has been no looking back for her. We had a candid conversation with her about her journey so far, her first crush, her take on life and much more…

Tell us something about your childhood. 

I wasn’t a very naughty child. Instead, I think I was quite mature. I took to concepts like work ethics, financial independence, self-dependence, people management, etc, at a very young age. I was a goody two shoes!

Tell us about your first crush.

I think my first crush probably was Priyanshu Chatterjee, who played my elder brother in Tum Bin. It was such a cute, innocent, childish crush. I used to, and still do, call him bhaiya. The cutest part is- even today, I get giggly and school-girly when I speak with him.

How did you get into acting?

I started acting at the age of four. At that time, I used to only act for fun. I never attended acting school, but I trained on-floor with a myriad of magicians- right from Imtiaz Ali to Anubhav Sinha and Sooraj Barjatya. I had the fortune of working with very senior, talented actors like Mr Bachchan, Sonali Bendre, Vikram Gokhale, Kay Kay Menon, etc. 

Tell us about your first audition.

I didn’t even know it was an audition. I just went in front of a camera, and fooled around, said a few lines, and basically- was myself. And that was that. The audition happened to be for a commercial for a local footwear brand in Kerala.

Whom you idolise when it comes to acting?

Acting is not about idols. Acting is telling a story through a character while incorporating something of your own self into it. It is observation. It is replication. It is creation. I idolise every single person I see.

What kind of role attracts you?

The kind that takes a story forward. I don’t at all bother with lead or non-lead role tags. For me, it has always been the relevance of the character. I like characters that move the story. Also, complex characters attract me very much and imperfect ones.  

Do you have any kind of phobia?

None! I am not scared of reptiles, insects, dark, heights, etc, etc. I, in fact, am quite fond of all those things. I am an absolute weirdo!