Come April and a new talent is set to shine in the entertainment industry — actress Pranali Sanghmitra Bhagwat. The spunky gal makes her debut as one of the main leads in the awaited multi-starcast Marathi movie Ek Number Super.
A very focused and determined person, Pranali has been into acting and dance ever since her childhood. Completing her Bachelors in Engineering (Information Technology) from Pune Institute of Computer Technology, she moved to Mumbai to pursue her dream. Starting out with multiple auditions, Pranali did around 30 advertisements, a web series, a mythological television series and several short films including Abhisarika, before bagging the feature film Ek Number Super.
Pranali plays a goofy and mischievous, yet bold and bindaas character of Meena in the movie. “It’s the role of a light-hearted fun girl. But in a unique way, the film conveys a message about respecting women and not objectifying them,” she informs.
Directed by Milind Zumber Kavde, Ek Number Super is a mystery-comedy revolving around a group of friends on a vacation. It is also the first time that a film with this genre is been made in the history of Marathi cinema. So how different is Pranali’s character from her real life persona?
“I’m progressive, but not boastful and breezy as the character of Meena,” she says with a smile. “Both Meena and I have liberal values essentially. But I’m much more introspective. While I’m spontaneous and adventurous, I seek meaning in everything I do. In that sense, I am quite different from Meena,” she comments.
Pranali has loved to act and dance since childhood. In fact, her family recalls that she began dancing at the age of two. She danced at home and then in school and later did workshops in Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Bollywood dance.
She even got selected and trained by Shiamak Davar’s dance academy in a Special Potential Batch. Pranali has taken formal training in Hindustani classical singing for four years during her school days, performed in various theatre plays later, trained in contemporary dance and even learnt acting at Kishore Namit Kapoor’s acting institute. She then moved to advertisements and acting assignments. Now that’s quite a journey in such a short span. Truly ‘super’, isn’t it?
Pranali credits her parents and especially her mother, for recognising her singing and dancing skills and encouraging her since childhood. “My parents have always been very progressive and their support and encouragement has meant a world to me,” remarks Pranali. “My grit, focus, determination, spirit of survival and constant growth in life comes from them,” she adds.
As Pranali embarks upon her new journey as a lead actress from this week, it’s a model leap for achievers like her who have a single-minded approach to their careers and pursue dreams with never-ending passion. Kudos.