EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW! Pooja Gor: I was away from TV as I wasn’t getting the kind of work I wanted

Pooja Gor became a household name after she played the title role in the TV show Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya (2009). The show went off air in 2012, and now after almost a decade, it’s set to return to TV with a new season produced by Rajan Shahi along with Pearl Grey as the creative producer. Pooja is naturally excited. In a candid chat, she spoke about this and also why she hasn’t been a part of any fiction show for the past many years.Excerpts from the chat...
You are best known as TV’s Pratigya. How excited are you to return with a second season after so many years?
I’m both excited and nervous. Excited because this is my baby, this was my show. It doesn’t even feel like we are making a comeback because all these years, Pratigya’s reruns have been on air on different channels and we’ve received a lot of love. I didn’t even realise that so many years had passed. I’m nervous because it’s a big responsibility to bring back a popular show. Also, a little nervousness is always there when you start a new project, but overall, I am super excited.

The last show you did on TV was six years ago. Was it a conscious decision to stay away from television, or were you not happy with the offers that came your way?
It was both; it was a conscious decision to stay away from television because I was not getting the kind of work I wanted to do. So, I thought let me take a break and I will jump back into TV when I get something where I wouldn’t need to think before saying a yes to it. That’s exactly what happened with Pratigya. It’s a whole fresh story with a new outlook. The characters are the same with the story going forward. In the last few years, there have been other things that kept me busy; I did the film Kedarnath, was part of OTT shows and also did many ads. I also keep doing short films and short format videos online.
Your last show Meri Awaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni didn’t really work in terms of ratings. How disappointed were you then?
I wasn’t... as an actor, my responsibility is to do my best, which I did. TRP is not in our hands, neither is it in the producer’s control nor the channel’s. All we can do is give our best.

Talking about Pratigya, the new season will also see Arhaan Behll, who played your husband earlier. Have the two of you been in touch?
In fact, there have been times in the last few years, and especially during the lockdown, when Arhaan and I have spoken about this. Seeing the response to the reruns, we would say Pratigya should come back. Of course, at that time, we didn’t even think that it would actually happen and that too, this soon. All this while we have been wanting to do something together like a short film. We have been thinking of collaborating and were wanting to find the right kind of content to collaborate on, and then this happened.
What about films? Post Kedarnath, were you hoping to do more movies?
I have always been very choosy about the kind of work I involve myself with, so Kedarnath was one of the films where I absolutely loved the storyline, my characterisation, the team and the director. There have been opportunities in between, but if I don’t feel or resonate or logically if it doesn’t sit with me, I don’t do it just for the sake of doing it. I like roles that are impactful and something where I can contribute.
How is it working with Rajan Shahi and Pearl Grey?
Great! Pearl is the creator and writer of Pratigya. And Rajan sir I have always wanted to work with. We did meet during these years for different projects, which didn’t work out for different reasons. But as people say, when it's meant to be, it will happen. And it finally has!