Exclusive! Pratibha Ranta: I said no to Aadha Ishq initially because of Qurbaan Hua

Television actress Pratibha Ranta is soon going to appear on Aamna Sharif-Gaurav Arora’s web series as the third lead. However, she almost said no to the project because she had already made her successful acting debut on TV with Qurbaan Hua. From being called Preity Zinta to being inspired by Hrithik Roshan, Pratibha shared some tid-bits about her life with OTTplay. Excerpts…

Hi Pratibha, tell me a little about yourself.

Hi, I'm from Himachal, Shimla. Now I'm in Mumbai. I've done a TV show called Qurbaan Hua on TV and this is my second project - Aadha Ishq on Voot.

Now this might sound a little cliche and I apologize for it but since we have such great actresses from where you belong - be it Priyanka Chopra Jonas who is slaying it in Hollywood or Kangana Ranaut who is making the waves in Bollywood - did you idolize them? Was that how your journey to acting began?

When I was three-four, everyone called me Preity Zinta. She's also from my school. I also started feeling like her and felt like an actress. I was into theatre and dancing back then. Stage is something I worship. If I wouldn't perform on stage for a month, I would cry. Growing up, I really acknowledged Hrithik Roshan, especially through Koi Mil Gaya and Krrish.

Would you call this your big debut?

No, I'm still waiting for that. Of course, this show is very special to me because it's a very different story and I made good friends on sets. It's a beautiful experience.

How and when did Aadha Ishq happen to you? Was it after your TV show?

It was during the shoot. The casting people approached me to audition for the series and I went ahead just thinking that what harm can an audition do. It's always a way to know where you stand. I would test myself through auditions. They told me they liked my audition but I was caught up with my TV show. I said no to Aadha Ishq previously because I had this commitment. However, the universe had planned a miracle. My TV show stopped and I could come on board.

I liked the story though, so I went for the auditions. I wouldn't have taken that extra efforts either because I already had a TV show.

In Aadha Ishq, you play the daughter and share a lover with your mother. Is that correct?

It's an interesting thing. This story is about a mother and a daughter. Rene comes from a broken family and is very close to her mother. They are like best friends. Now, though, there's one man who both the mother and daughter fall for. The story is about who's doing what. The amount of love and passion shown in this story is commendable. Not only between two lovers, it's the story of a mother and daughter, father and daughter, two best friends. Every character has a specific graph and emotions. It has come out very beautifully. The audience will love it. It all talks about why is an 18-year-old girl facing so much in life. It's about how a toxic parental relationship can affect the child. It speaks about a lot of things so I'm just waiting for May 12.

When I hear about this story, it sounds pretty much like Dark Desire. What would have to say about that? How is this different from that show?

I haven't seen the show though, so I can't tell you much. However, I have heard it from Gaurav and Aamna only.

From what Aamna told me, this is the story of unrequited love but between her and Gaurav. What would you say? Is it from Rene's side too? What does your character have to offer?

Rene and Roma (Aamna) are best people. Rene runs to Roma to share all her secrets. The situation and circumstances make it such that there is a huge gap between them and they don't want to communicate. Rene is a rebel too. She takes what she wants without thinking back and forth. It is because of misunderstandings and small things, the relation isn't what it was before.

Now that even this series is up for release, how would you say life has changed? What are your upcoming projects?

Things are lined up, touchwood. I'm extremely grateful for what I have and is coming. Pretty soon you will also know.