Ragini Khanna: I hadn’t partied for seven years when I was doing TV

Television actor Ragini Khanna has shifted her focus to films and says that now she has more clarity about her career.

Actor Ragini Khanna started her acting career with television back in 2008, when she was in her early twenties, and worked continuously for seven years until she decided to take things slow. She has now moved on to Bollywood, and is focusing on herself and doing things which she missed out on.

Actor Ragini Khanna is looking forward to collaborating with good filmmakers and writers in Bollywood.(HT Photo)

“When I was doing television shows, I was only working. At times, I worked for 40 hours at a stretch. One day, I realised that I didn’t party for seven years; didn’t do anything for myself. The day my TV show Sasural Genda Phool ended, I started taking stock of things. Financially, I was a little more stable and was in the position to make choices. Besides that, I’m also travelling a lot these days. I love exploring new places,” says the niece of actor Govinda.

Ragini made her Bollywood debut in 2011 with Teen Thay Bhai, and has also worked in the Punjabi film Bhaji in Problem (2013) and last year’s Hindi thriller, Gurgaon. The actor, who will be seen in the Anurag Kashyap-produced Ghoomketu, says it is a very exciting time for actors because there is no dearth of opportunities, thanks to the different mediums — films, TV, and the web.

“I don’t want to limit myself. I belong everywhere and I want to do everything.”

“In today’s times, there is so much happening. If you don’t have a limitation in your head, then there are so many opportunities. The digital platform has opened up a huge space. I don’t want to limit myself. I belong everywhere and I want to do everything,” Ragini remarks.

Ask her if she admires the careergraph of any particular female actor in Bollywood and if she would like to follow in that person’s footsteps, Ragini replies, “I think Vidya Balan. I love her body of work. She has had a similar journey as mine — from television to films.”

On what kind of films she wants to be associated with, the actor says that more than the story, she chooses people she wants to collaborate with.

“I want to work with top directors and writers. I don’t want my producer to lose money; at the same time I want to be creatively satisfied,” she says.

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