“Bold Is Ok But Not Too Much,” Jasmine Rath

“Bold Is Ok But Not Too Much,” Jasmine Rath

Nepotism always remains a complaint in every regional and national entertainment industry. However, there still remains hope that real talent will always get a chance. That is exactly what has happened with the new face of Odia entertainment industry, Jasmine Rath. Jasmine’s father is a lawyer, mother is an ex-teacher and granddaughter is a retired OAS officer. 

Jasmine made her debut with the Zee Sarthak serial ‘Sargam’ after passing the audition, when she was only 16 years old. She is not just very good at studies but also a trained Odissi dancer. She never thought of acting. She is 19 now and an Integrated BA LLB 2^nd year student. 

Living with his father, mother and two siblings at Bhubaneswar, Jasmine is now playing the lead role in the Tarang TV serial ‘Maya’ and has acted in several music videos including those of trending songs like ‘Hela Ki Prema’, ‘Ae Samaya’ and ‘Akhire Tuma’. My City Links caught up with the actor for an exclusive interview. Here are the excerpts.

How did you get your first break?

I was 3 years old when I started learning dance. I never wanted to be an actress. I wanted to be a doctor. But I think God had other plans for me. After coming back from Delhi, I did a short skit of the film ‘Padman’ by taking Sonam Kapoor’s acting as reference. Then I got offers to do two music videos. Unfortunately, those videos have not been released yet. That made me very sad and I took it as a challenge and determined myself that I shall appear on screen very soon at least for once. But I  never thought that it would drag me so far and I will be playing a lead role in a serial.

Does your family support your work in the entertainment industry, as no one belongs to this field?

My father and grandpa are always very serious about my studies. So in the initial days they were not in favour of dance or acting. It’s only my mom, who has always been there with me. She used to push me to learn Odissi and also supported me a lot for my acting career. She wanted to be a dancer during her childhood. But due to family pressure she couldn’t fulfill her wish and now she is happy to see me fulfilling her dream.

Do you think it’s easy to earn a living for an actor these days?

Digital platforms are helping a lot to the youth of the present generation. When you are a newcomer and you are dependent on acting, then you have to face a hell lot of challenges. You should always have some backup plan.

Who are the actors you take inspiration from?

I always consider myself as my inspiration and I am my own favorite (chuckles). But I like one girl and that is Shraddha Kapoor. I like the way she expresses herself on screen. In Odisha I like Rachna Banerjee the most.

Is there any character that you would want to play one day?

I like the character played by Alia Bhatt in the movie ‘Dear Zindegi’. In Odia, I like all the characters played by Rachna Banerjee (Chuckles).

Will you accept projects that require you to do intimate scenes?

I respect my work and I know my limitations. Because I belong to a conservative family, bold is ok but not too much.

Who are the actors you want to act with?

It’s obvious that I would love to act with all the popular actors of Ollywood. But when it comes to the freshers, then I would like to do films with Abhisekh Panda and Sailendra Samantaray.

You do so many romantic videos so flawlessly. Are you into any relationship?

I got quite good proposals after ‘Hela Ki Prema’ was released. But I can’t reveal much about that. If any announcement happens I will let my audience know myself.

What are your upcoming projects and future plans?

‘Hela ki Prema 2’ and a few other music videos are in the pipeline. No one is evergreen, and I know I may not look the same after 5-10 years going through so much work and hectic schedules. So studies are more important for me and acting or dancing is just my passion which I am following. I want to settle down with studies only.