Members of her family are either in Police department or in education field. But, Prajakta Mali opted for acting career. Her mother was very fond of dancing during her young days;but could not pursue her hobby. So, she admitted little Prajakta at Classical dance classes. Till the time, Prajakta reached 11th standard, she was through her ‘Arangetram’ and had completed Sangeet Visharad.
As a teenager, she started participating at national level competitions and soon entered TV reality show, to bag an award. Having performed earlier in children’s play, she had worked on her voice and dialogue delivery. So, when Prajakta decided to take up acting as her career, she received good support from her parents. Though her father is in Police department, he is a great admirer of arts.
Prajakta’s acting career began as a TV show anchor, for a programme ‘Good Morning Maharashtra’ on Zee Marathi. For almost two years, she presented this show and became a known face. But,it was her performance in ‘Suvasini’ serial that brought her into limelight. Prajakta did perform in few other serials like ‘Phiruni Punha Janmen Mee’( Mee Marathi) and ‘Bandh Reshmache’ ( Star Pravah).
Marathi Movie World spoke to this talented actress on the eve of release of her debut film ‘Kho Kho’. Excerpts from an interview:
Q: Your film ‘Kho Kho’ is all set to release. How you got into this project ?
A: I consider myself lucky that I was selected to perform in this film. It’s all because of my performance in TV serial ‘Suvasini’. Mr. Kedar Shinde was searching for a girl, to play the character of Suman in this film. And I was told that he watched my performance in ‘Suvasini’ and was considering my name for this role. When I received a phone call from them and was told about the cast of the film and my selection for this role; I just couldn’t say no to this offer. It was a golden opportunity which had come to me.
Q: What you have to say about the film’s story and your role ?
A.: The film is based on Kedar Shinde’s own play ‘Lochya Jhala Re’ which was a hit. It is not so that I was selected in this film just to meet the requirement of a new face; but, there are good scenes to my share. In spite of a big star cast, there is something special for me, in the script. There is one full song picturised on myself and Bharat Jadhav. I am sure, people will like it. In the film, I am playing a girl called Suman. This name is very close to me, as my grandparents address me with this name. Therefore, this character played by me, is very close to my heart.
Q: Tell us about your experience while shooting for this film?
A.: It was a great experience. There was a lot to learn from all those around. The most important thing I learned, was about ‘timing’. All the artistes used to guide me to set my timing with them during a particular sequence; as most of them had worked with each other before. I quickly learned this technique of delivering the dialogue quickly. To say something about kedar Sir; he used to perform the scene himself for us, so that we understood the situation well. I really enjoyed every moment of this film.