As the granddaughter of Nutan, grandniece of Tanuja, and daughter of Mohnish Bahl, actor Pranutan Bahl carries an acting legacy that most would be envious of. The actor is aware of her privileges and says coming from a film family has allowed her to be better prepared, but lists some pitfalls of being the proverbial insider, too. In a candid conversation with Hindustan Times, Pranutan talks about her acting journey and legacy.
On early education in a film family
Pranutan made her acting debut opposite Zaheer Iqbal in the 2019 film Notebook. Talking about that beginning, she says, “Because I was surrounded by actors, what became easier for me was getting to know that it’s a tough industry. You learn that you’re going to be laden with lots of spells of no work. I had those warnings given to me. A lot of people who don’t have parents from the industry don’t get all that, and for them, that’s a harder emotional journey.”
Battling rejections
But Pranutan is quick to dismiss the notion that all ‘star kids’ have it easy in the film industry. “Every star kid does not get everything on a platter, and I am living proof of it. It’s not like just because I’m an actor’s kid, I have got things on a platter or my family is funding films from the back end,” she says.
The actor reveals that even though her first film was released in 2019, she had begun giving auditions as early as 2016. She recalls, “I didn’t have to deal with the emotional upheaval of being an actor in that sense that everything was not a shock to me. But, of course, that emotional journey is different. You have to deal with a lot of rejection. I started my auditions in 2016, and it was in 2018 that I got my first movie. And even after that, I continued to give auditions. I gave an audition just three days back.”
Pranutan says that a lot of the hardships of her journey depended upon her choices, wherein she wanted to get everything on her own terms. “I walked into auditions and just told my first name because I didn’t want people to draw the connection,” she says. “So, nobody knew I was from a film family. My theory behind this was, I don’t want to get a call back from a casting director because they know I’m Nutan’s granddaughter or Mohnish Bahl’s daughter. At that stage in my career, I needed to know that the callback I am getting is for my talent.”
Pranutan’s acting career
After the release of Notebook, Pranutan starred in Helmet and Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani. The actor will next be seen in the Hindi-English bilingual film Coco & Nut. Pranutan has finished filming two other films – a cop drama and a thriller. They are also awaiting release.
