Coffee with Pallabi Bhattacharya

Q. So, tell us something about yourself Pallabi. How did you get into this industry?

I was very much interested into modeling initially as a freelancer. I was working with Dipayan Majumdar. He had given me the reference to Radio One Nandini Season 3. I had given the audition and was selected among the total final 20 contestants. For me, Nandini is the starting of my career. I didn’t know I would be winning it because I was competing with many experienced women. I took part in Fface  and out of total 30 contestants, I was there as one of the top 12 contestants. I’m happy about my start.

Q. If you are given a choice between modeling and acting which one would you choose?

I would rather go for modeling because I have always dreamt of walking on the ramp even though I have height issues. I don’t think that would affect so much and later on I can learn the proper skills of acting you know through workshops!

Q. Which is more important to you Nandini or Fface?

Both of them are equally important to me it was because of Nandini, I came to know about Fface. Nandini gave me the exposure that I needed and it was from Nandini that Neil Roy, Indranil Mukherjee, Kaustav Salkia, Paramita Ghosh liked me and hence I got the opportunity to be at Fface so simultaneously whatever my stand today is in the industry my popularity and fame is because of Fface and Nandini.

Q. How is your experience of participating in two consequent reality shows? What have you learnt?

Whenever we get low many a times, we break down and think what we are doing with our lives, where are we ending up but I just want to say one thing that we all have the x-factor and the potential within us which we must keep within ourselves!

These two shows actually grew me in to a confident firm me, to believe in me to be patient enough.

Q. Do you think reality shows are important and they serve as supporting mechanism for the new comers?

These days, there are plenty of newcomers like me. Not only in Kolkata, but throughout India who fervently pray to get a chance or a platform to showcase themselves and to get fame but lucky are those who get these opportunities and I think one should give his /her 200% and make proper utilization of such opportunity. Moreover, reality shows are important these days because many of the stars we see today are born from the reality shows for instance Sonali Raot, our Fface cover girl has also attained a lot of fame through reality show too.

Q. Who has been your support behind you?

My main support was my sister and my brother in law and no doubt my mom. My father is a bit conservative and he never wanted me to choose modeling as my career being from a middle-class family, the conservatism was imbibed in him. He never expected me to win the Nandini title, in fact during grooming sessions I didn’t tell him about it. But after I won the title and handed him the trophy he was the most happy to see it. Among my friends, my best friend Subhadip Das has blindly supported me no matter in whatever way I wanted him to support.

Q. Do you get sloshed badly at times when work flow is not what you expect?

We begin with some aims. I can’t expect something big at the very beginning so patience is the main key for me. I’m patient. I hold on to myself. I do feel low or I do sometimes judge myself thinking what good work am I doing but I always have an inclination to work for something different. I don’t like to do things which are main stream. Time was the medicine of my breakdown point, I was Nandini in 2016 than in Fface in 2017. I have high hopes of doing something more in 2018. Let’s hope for the best!

Q. What are your future plans?

Nobody has seen the future. I always believe in keeping a backup plan for myself if I’m not a model then for sure an air hostess. Everybody has dreams of travelling the world, so do I.

And now that I’m a model doing pretty good in my life, I want to take a break work on my body. I want to take myself to a higher level so that people can’t point at me. It may happen that I may get less projects or I may be less famous but whatever I do. I want to give my best in it.

Q. Where do you want to see yourself in the next five years?

I want to see myself in Paris after five years (laughs). I know it sounds weird but yes, it is my dream. Apart from this, regarding modeling, I want to focus myself in the print shoots but as I said travelling is my obsession so side by side, I would do something so that I can travel. I have traveled almost all the places in India with my father. He has this obsession of travelling around, so I have inherited it from him in pretty good way!

Q. A message for LaughaLaughi?

LaughaLaughi is a great platform. You people are giving newcomers the platform so that people get to know more about them. I must say, you guys are really cool. I love LaughaLaughi.

 

Interviewer – Soumi Sen

Photo Journalist – Rohitjoy Roy

Other Photo Source – Facebook