Prime time’s new pocket Venus

doweshowbellyad=0; Amrapalli Gupta (TOI Photo) More picsLucknow girl Amrapalli Gupta’s girlish giggle and sheer joy of living touches you even long distance. Small screen’s newest star has had a tough time finding a toe-hold in Mumbai and carving a niche for herself.
After being thrown out of umpteen paying guest accommodations, spending nights without food, Amrapalli is determined to make it bigger on television and make her parents proud of her.“I want them to hear good things about me. Their courage and support kept me going during all the hardships I faced during my struggling days.”
And yes, she even confesses to having been propositioned and admits that for nubile young girls like her who have no god-fathers or family in the entertainment business, the casting couch does exist and she has just about managed to get out of it. “We actors like to give the impression that there’s no such thing like a casting couch, so that the audience doesn’t hate us. But the real truth remains — it does exist. The only pressure is to not succumb to it. If one is not economically and emotionally strong, it’s easy to take short cuts to sustain oneself.”
And sure, like most television stars, Amrapalli has Bollywood dreams too. “I would like to work with Subhash Ghai although I believe that his work has deteriorated. That apart, Ram Gopal Varma draws out the best in a newcomer and Mahesh Bhatt productions (without the smooching scenes) are what I’d like to be part of.”
An emotional girl, Amrapalli is fiercely passionate about her work. Although her involvement with the theatre triggered her interest in acting, but she dreams of becoming a Kathak dancer some day. A trained dancer, she gets inspired by Hema Malini and B Saroja Devi and would like to put on her “ghungroos” again.
And yes, she’d also like to do a dance-based reality show some day. “Even if you reach the second or third episode of a show, you get to learn some dance from the masters at least,”she quips.